A Mother’s Day Musing
This Mother’s day afternoon, I sit in my favorite chair in a corner of my room. The house is quiet. My husband has left for a business trip. My daughter is in the states getting ready for her summer adventure, and my son will be here in a month. It is quiet, but I am not alone.
Mother’s day can be hard for many. Some are grieving a mother who has died, and others are grieving that their arms are empty due to infertility. Some are in conflict with their children while others made some mistakes that are affecting their children in a negative way. Whether today is a day of joy or weeping, we are not alone. God is with us through the good, bad, and the ugly. All we need to do is turn to him.
This year has been different for me as a mother. It is my second year as an empty nester. Both of my children are on different continents than I am. How do you best mother your children from a distance? I fully realize that I am not in control of what they are doing and how they are doing. I find this funny since I often thought I was in control of all that when they were living with me. They are in the hands of God who is in control. It is a season of mother from a distance filled with time in prayer for these dear ones. They are not alone just as I am not alone.
Most days I find myself not only teaching but mothering the 4 teens that God has placed in my classroom. At the same time in another place, someone is giving my child guidance or a much needed hug. I often think it is ironic that I teach other people’s children while my son is in boarding school. I sometimes doubt myself and that I wasn’t enough, God reminds me that we are to train our children in the way they should go. For my son in this season, it is in a school far away where he is thriving and growing in his faith. It is a reminder that God works in his way and timing. It is not about me but about Him. It is such a blessing to know that my children are not alone in this season as we are apart. God is there, but also people God has put on their journey to help them become who He wants them to be.
So today I am thankful, first of all, for my mom and the example she has been for me. I have never doubted her love and know that she is always there for me. I am thankful that I am a mom to W and D but that I also have the opportunity to mother on other people’s children. I thank God for the ladies who have mothered not only me but also my children. But most of all, I am thankful we are not alone not matter what our journey is or where it is taking us.