Mothers

There are an endless number of words that can be used to describe mothers; loving, nurturing, caring, healer, protector, cheerleader, warrior, comforting, understanding, compassionate, selfless, accepting, resilient, strong, courageous, generous, patient, beautiful and wise. We all have our own words to describe our mothers, and what comes to mind depends on where we are in our lives. Each stage of life brings a different role with its own meaning.

Being a mother is a huge responsibility. From the day we hold our children for the very first time we become acutely aware of two things; just how much we can possibly love another human being, and the enormity of the responsibility ahead of us.

Our children are a miracle we give to the world; there is no other word to describe giving birth. We love and nurture them as they grow and try to not only see our hopes and dreams for them fulfilled, but also hope they achieve their dreams.

Mothers are not perfect. We are human after all, and we will make mistakes along the way. We will rise from these errors in judgement, make adjustments, and ensure we do better as we guide our children to adulthood.

There will be times when our children will "hate" us and it will break our hearts, but we will always forgive them. That is a gift mothers have; the enormous capacity to forgive.

There will also be times that our children disappoint us. They are born with free will as we were, and will occasionally make poor decisions, just like we did. However, we will always stand behind them because they are a part of us and we love them with all our heart.

Recently I was searching through some old papers and found something I was given many years ago. It touched my heart just as it did the first time I read it. With Mother's Day only a week away I wanted to share it.

Why Mothers Cry

"Why are you crying?" he asked his mom.

"Because I'm a mother." she told him.

"I don't understand." he said.

His mom just hugged him and said, "You never will!"

Later the little boy asked his father why Mother seemed to cry for no reason.

"All mothers cry for no reason." was all his Dad could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why mothers cry.

So he finally put in a call to God and when God got on the phone God said,

"you see son, when I made mothers they had to be special.

I made their shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet

gentle enough to give comfort. I gave them an inner strength to endure

childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from their children.

I gave them a hardness that allows them to keep going when everyone

else gives up, and to take care of their families through sickness and

fatigue without complaining.

I gave them the sensitivity to love their children under all circumstances, even

when their child has hurt them very badly. This same sensitivity helps them to make

a child's boo-boo feel better and helps them share a teenager's anxieties

and fears. I gave them a tear to shed. It's theirs exclusively to use whenever

its needed. It's their only weakness. It's a tear for mankind."

Happy Mother's Day to all the special mothers in the world!