Memories & Messages
By Shirley Dillon

Mothering is an awesome responsibility: so many demands – not enough time. Sometimes we lack, sometimes we excel, but all the time we are mothers.

This is for the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms wiping up throw-up, saying, “It’s okay honey, Mommy’s here.” This is for mothers who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can’t be comforted. This is for all the mothers who show up at work and church with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouse and diapers in their purse. For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew school play costumes. And all the mothers who don’t.

This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they’ll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes. This is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors.

This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and for all the mothers who count to ten first. This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the mothers who wanted to, but just couldn’t find the words. This is for all the mothers who go hungry, so their children can eat. For all the mothers who read “Green Eggs & Ham” twice a night for a year. And then read it again, “Just one more time.” This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.

This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls “Mom?” in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home — or even
away at college. This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomach aches, assuring them they’d be just fine once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up- right away!

This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can’t find the words to reach them.

For all the mothers of the victims of recent school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting. This is for all the mothers who taught their children to be peaceful, and now pray they come home safely from a war.

What makes a good Mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Or is it in her heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time?

The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby? Or the need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying? The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation. And mature mothers learning to let go. For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers. Single mothers and married mothers. Mothers with money, mothers without. This is for you all. For all of us!

As Hebrews 12:1 says, “We are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses” (Mothers). They made it and you can believe the same God is with you and will never leave you.

This article may not be written by an Apostolic author, but it contains many excellent principles and concepts that can be adapted to most churches. As the old saying goes, “Eat the meat. Throw away the bones.”