Mother of the Year

At my church Sunday (Mother's Day) my Mom was shocked to discover she had been chosen as Mother of the Year. It was only a shock to her; many others felt that she was a very appropriate choice. I was asked to help in the presentation of the award, and to write a tribute to her. This is what I said:

The word Mother has many definitions. There is the obvious one, a female parent. But there are other definitions. The word also means "to care for." My favorite definition is this one: The inspiration for an activity or situation, such as ‘necessity is the mother of invention.’

My mother is all of these things. She is my parent. She is the very definition of caring, not only for us, but for every member of every church we have pastored; for every person that ever crossed her path.

More than that, though, she is an inspiration, not only to me but to so many others.
When I was growing up, I had a friend named Marti Sue. Marti’s mom was different. Marti had to buy her own food, her own hairbrush and toothpaste; everything she needed to take care of herself. Even though she lived in the same home, in very many ways it was like Marti lived alone. Her parents wanted to teach responsibility; but instead taught her that they didn’t care.

When Marti came to my house, my mom hugged her. My mom cooked for her. My mom asked Marti how she was doing in school, and asked how her day was. It shocked Marti, because know one had ever treated her like that before.

Because of my Mom, Marti started asking me questions about my God. She didn’t know a lot about God, but she thought my God was loving, and caring, and compassionate, sort of like my Mom. Marti got saved, in part because of the love of God she experienced in my home. Marti and I are still friends. We share a strong bond, forged because my Mom loved and accepted her when Marti’s own mother rejected her.

That’s what my Mother does. She loves. She accepts. She hugs. She understands. She comforts. She weeps. She prays. And she does it, not just for those of us that are privileged to call her "Mom," but for each and every person that has the privilege of knowing her. Your children are her children. Your parents are her parents. Your worries and burdens and heartaches are hers. So, too, are your joys and triumphs. She just doesn’t know how not to love, not to embrace those she knows with all that she has to offer. She doesn’t know how not to see the best in every person.

There is so much that she does, although no one knows about it because she doesn’t do it to be known. She does it because it is right, or it is needed, or it is helpful, or it will bring a smile. It may be a phone call, or sending a card, or making cookies, or baking a cake or even cooking a meal; and then driving it over in the pouring rain while it is still hot. Whatever it is; she does it because she is Mom, and she doesn’t know how to be anything different.

I’ve read the dictionary, so I know how they define what a mother is. But I know the true definition of a mother, because I have lived my life watching the best example possible.