Mothers

God has blessed my life with mothers. 

Well, yes, there is that obvious thing.  I have a mother.  She is 95 years old going on 96 and I am blessed now by every year God gives.  She gave birth to me at a time when her own life was precariously balanced day to day.  I remember a face of laughter and a serving hand.  She loved a ‘grand to do’ and she was good at them.  She loved to fix people.  Sometimes people had their own ideas about being fixed.  She had a strong will and a creative mind.  I love my mom and am thankful for her.

My own life has produced five beautiful mothers.  They are as unique as each flower in a wildflower garden.  I see strength and stamina.  I see giving hearts but strong wills.  I see in all my daughters, pieces of myself yet, so individually crafted by the greatest planner-designer.

I believe it is our right as parents to bless our children.  For my daughter Katherine, I speak peace and clarity and space to let her dreams live strong.  For Rhonda, I would give contentment and the ability to meet the challenges of the day as a daughter of the great King.  For Jackie, I say open up the doors and let the creative out and it will make a place for itself.  Learn to breathe deeply and gaze quietly.  For Jonea, I speak patience to see the days and the dreams unfold and the ability to see each challenge as a chance to creatively bond with her creator.  For Amanda, I speak continued renewal and reward for the efforts.  I speak creative patience at seeing the future born each new day and in believing its divine origin. 

There are many things I pray for in my daughters’ lives.  These are tools that will help when the prayers are answered.  But I am thankful mostly for their motherhood.  They gave me many beautiful grandchildren who are also strong, opinionated, creative people.

My sister, Barbara is another mother I am thankful for.  My time at watching her mothering skills has been minimal and yet I see a pattern of grace and wisdom mixed with a bit of angst at times that has created her own individual cacophony of life.  And yet it is merely the tuning of an orchestra.  I wish for her the time and ability to hear the symphony of life as she mothers her own mother.

My older sister, who sees from afar these days, gave birth to 6 mothers.  These are also strong women who know both the harmony and dissonance of life.  They are incredible examples of woman who have faced adversity with grace and faith.  Three of these have, in recent years, reconnected to me and begun a journey that travels near by and often joins with my own meandering trail in life.  They have brought me laughter and understanding and unconditional love.  As a stand in, I bless them today.  

Linda you are a warrior child.  You do battle easily for others, but not so much for yourself.  I bless you with fellow warriors to stand by when the assaults come.  I pray for peace and confidence.  I pray that your creative problem solving will flower within your home and life to give joy and the deserved realization of your hopes and dreams.  I pray for physical strength to enjoy that realization.

Laura, you are a seeker of truth and resolution.  You are a peacemaker.  I bless you today with the calm belief that God's love is as vast and never-failing as your days.  His provision is a grand as your wildest dream.  His will is to bring you through the trials a complete, strong and contented woman.  When the road is hard, he is there always. When the days are sweet, he is there.

Cathy, you are a jewel.  You've come through fire and pressure to shine and sparkle.  You are a jewel in God's crown.  He is forming you into a lovely centerpiece of grace.  You have a willing and compliant spirit, but you're nobody's fool.  I bless you with a patient realization of God's awesome plan for your children, your grandchildren and your own life.  You are a flower that has been too busy to bloom and yet the time is near.  Be patient, be confident, be content.

On a wider scope, God has blessed my life with incredible mother/friends.  They care for me and about me in the heavy times.  They laugh with me and sometimes at me in the antics of life.  They bless and encourage and sometimes gently correct.  Their own little flocks are as diverse and as their appearances and abilities.  They are a strong influence on my thinking and doing.  There are too many to list and then you risk the chance of leaving one out that truly is a worthy recipient of honor.  So I shall do my best in the next year to find ways to tell them thank you and bless them in some appropriate moment and way.

To all of us I say, “Be blessed.  Be loved.  Be strengthened for the task.  Receive the blessing.  Happy Mother’s Day.”

DW  2013