Will Mother's Day Rob Us Of God's Greatest Gift?

In recent years Mother's Day has sort of gotten out of control, Yes, it was a bit more subdued (it had to be) during the repressive Covid years, but it was still on a trajectory toward bigger and more mammoth commemorations with each passing year.

It's been one of those sort of Hallmark Holidays that has become wildly commercialized to the point where some moms simply want to be left alone during the holiday. They'd like a break -- some quiet, peaceful time away from the daily work and stresses of motherhood. With moms working harder than ever (both at home and on-the-job) can you blame them if they think the best gift they can be given is a bit of refreshing solitude?

My mother was a working mom long, long before working moms were common. She worked as a seamstress in a coat factory, otherwise known as a sweat shop. No, there was no air conditioning and summer was their busiest season because that's when they made winter coats. It was hard work -- grueling work.
But my mother was always there for me. She would rush to my nearby schoolyard at lunch time to bring me a fresh orange while my classmates and I were out to play. These and millions of other loving memories of her fill my heart every hour of every day.

Which only reinforces the fact that we shouldn't need Mother's Day to remind us that mothers are important.

And hopefully most people really don't need Mother's Day for such a reminder.
I know I don't.
Even though my Mother passed away more than 20 years ago, she is still with me every day. She is still at my side. And I remember the simpler, more meaningful observances of this day. Those essential memories endure.

So, my mom is still here for me.
She still comforts me.
She still encourages me.
She still cheers me up.
She still urges me onward.

Why?
Because she gave me unconditional love.
And love really is eternal.
It never leaves us. It never goes away. It never dies.  

When a mother gives boundlessly and unconditionally of her love, she actually seizes a slice of immortality. That's one of the great miracles of motherhood. And that's why it's been said that God's greatest gift is a mother's love.

My mother was a very proud woman -- proud but always accessible, always approachable. She carried herself with great dignity and actually appeared taller and more regal than she really was. In fact, she was our Queen!

But she was irrepressibly human.
She was also funny and quite a cutup. She had a knack for mimicking others in a generous but nonetheless targeted manner. Quickly, and shrewdly, she sized people up and then followed her instincts.

Though not formally educated past grade school, she read the newspapers assiduously every day. So, she had a keen sense of what was going on around her and throughout the world. She was curious and engaging and modern in her own way.

She did not dwell on the past but rather always looked to the future.
She didn't burden herself with unpleasant thoughts and didn't have an ounce of spitefulness or vindictiveness in her.
She was not a complainer, even under the most trying circumstances. She rarely cried and never whined. She never wanted to be fussed over and even on Mother's Day, she sought no special attention.

Always, she was sustained by her immediate family. Her family always came first.
She was happiest when her family was with her. She never smiled so brightly or so warmly or so genuinely as when she gazed upon her family.

And we were there for her till the very end, doing all that we could to give back to her just a bit of the love that she gave us.

So, we never needed Mother's Day then and we don't need it now.
Just as my Mother's love was never in doubt, the love that my sister and I gave back to her was constant and unequivocal.
And it continues to this day and every day.