WE Minute - Mother's Day Edition

Mother's Day Vlog

Things We Love About Our Mom

I have two guest columnists this week: Benjamin and David. I asked them what they love about their mom.

• I love that she loves me no matter what I do. (Benjamin) 
• I love that she helps with stuff. (David) 
• I love that she is so soft. (David) 
• I love that she comes to all my games and events. (Benjamin) 
• I love that she picks me up from school and takes me to YoYo Berri. (David) 
• I love when she picks me up from school because she is on time, unlike daddy. (Benjamin) 
• I love that she takes off work and volunteers at my school. (David) 
• I love that she works hard for us. (Benjamin) 
• I love that she reads to me. (Benjamin) 
• I love that she reads to me. (David) 
• I love that we do lots of fun things together. (Benjamin and David) 
• I love when she makes dinner for us. (Benjamin) 
• I love when she gives me hugs and kisses. (David) 
• I love that she tells me when I do a good job. (Benjamin) 
• We love laughing with her. (Benjamin and David) 
• I love going to get pie at Village Inn on Wednesdays and talking to her. (Benjamin) 
• This is the last one I am doing: I love when she scratches my back. (David) 
• I love that she is patient with me. (Benjamin) 

Lots of other kids could come up with similar lists about their mom. This is ours. 

Happy Mother’s Day to mom and all moms, 

Benjamin – Sixth Grade 

David - Kindergarten

Thoughts on Mother's Day

The Bible tells us to honor our mother (Exodus 20:12). For some of us this task is simple and natural. For others it is difficult and contrived. Some mothers are nearly perfect. Others have made so many mistakes that only God can clean up the mess. Either way, God says, “Honor your mother.”

My mom, Bonita, is imperfectly perfect. Despite her demanding job as an accountant and parenting my three older siblings, she loved me like I was the only one to love. I ran track and cross country in high school and college. She drove thousands of miles to see me run around a 400 meter track countless times. She was my biggest fan – celebrating the victories and encouraging me on the days I wished I was on the golf team instead of being a distance runner. 

She is not perfect, but as far as moms go, I am blessed. She enjoys and loves her many grandchildren. But she still loves me like I am the only one there is to love. 

The role of being a parent is holy and sacred. Even if the parents are neither holy nor sacred, the role of parent is still sacred. Being a parent is ordained by God, the creator and sustainer of life. Being a parent has responsibilities and rights. The responsibilities are many. 

Entire books have been written on parenting: but praying, playing, listening, and modeling a Christian life are a good start. These responsibilities are for the parent of a six year old child and the parent of a sixty year old child. The rights are many as well: smelling the hair of a sleeping baby who has recently been bathed, laughing with the child exploring life, watching the child hit baseballs or dancing dances or singing songs, witnessing the child become who God wants the child to be, and having that child care for you when you are no longer able to care for yourself just like you once cared for the child when he or she was not able to take care of himself or herself. 

Today is Mother’s Day. God’s command to honor your mother applies today as it does every day. Honoring them doesn’t mean putting them on a pedestal or worshipping them. It means seeing them for who they are and who they are not. It means loving God and our neighbor as faithfully and selflessly as mothers at their best have tried to love us. It means listening to them, praying for them, playing with them, and taking care of them to the end of their days on earth. 

To mom, Amber, and all the mother’s reading this—Happy Mother’s Day! 

The best is yet to come… 

Craig