I often forget, while pining for adulthood--
For a career, a family, a home--
That my mother ages too.
While my hands are young and able,
Hers are not the same.
Smooth hands that held my childish fingers
Become rough as time ensues.
While busy learning Greek philosophies--
Soaking up histories of foreign lands--
I, too, often miss the history
of the world inside my home.
In frames all over, I see her face unlined--
a startling realization--
I have forgotten, in my quest to outgrow,
That my mother ages too.
I wrote this poem in college. Although I’m not much of a poet, it was a poignant expression of what was in my heart at the time. That odd space between high school and EVERYTHING else had me feeling nostalgic and a little intimidated. Childhood was fresh in my mind, but my own venture into marriage and motherhood was no longer so far away. Excited, exhilarated, nervous, I recognized at that time how quickly life was about to speed past. As I had changed in the last 18 years, my mother had too. As I had stumbled along trying to figure out my path in life, she had prayed and sought God alongside me. I’m sure more than a few of her newly-found gray hairs were the result of this launch into adulthood. Even in that funny time where 18-year-olds feel like they have all the answers to life, I recognized that I needed my mom’s wisdom and guidance more than ever.
For those of you that are blessed with mothers and mother figures still in your life, I would urge you to slow down this weekend. Whether it’s on Sunday, or later in the week, and share some time with your mom. Listen to her stories, ask her questions, mine for wisdom. Though not all moms are perfect, all moms have been through the transition from maiden to mother and it has changed them forever. They sure have something to offer. It can be so easy to skip through the weekend, give the gift and the hastily colored finger-painting from one of the grandkids and call it good. But the years go by fast, and if we’re not careful, we’ll let those years go by without slowing down and truly honoring our mothers. Mother’s Day is a simple holiday, but it can also be a great reminder to pause and honor the gift God has given us - to see what wisdom she might have to offer and to thank her for doing the best she could at her Mom job.
I know that this Mother’s Day may not be a sweet one for everyone for a myriad of reasons. There will be some that get a brief text, some that won’t be able to see their mothers at all. I’ve felt the sting of a bittersweet Mother’s Day before, and I pray the ones to come for you are sweet again in the years ahead.
