Recently our oldest son Rob became engaged. While I haven't met Jenny, I have talked with her on the phone and was impressed with her down-to-earth attitude, humor, and love for my son's two small boys. A special ed teacher, she is committed to service and helping others.
It made me wonder about her parents, in particular her mother, and the influence she played and plays in Jenny's life. Her mother has obviously guided her daughter, teaching her, supporting her, loving her.
Mothers take a bad rap sometimes. Psychiatrists are fond of abscribing a child's problems back to faulty mothering. Mothers are belittled by the media and, occasionally, even by their own families. This is especially true for stay-at-home mothers.
There is no one who works harder than mothers. Mothers keep the world spinning on its axis. We make certain that baths are taken, underwear is changed, and homework is done. Does that sound menial? Not at all. What would happen if mothers didn't do these things? Picture a world of dirty, smelly, and uneducated children.
Mothering involves these things. And more. It is "the more" that is so important. The more includes showing a child how to pray and then listening to their prayers. It includes staying up at night waiting for a teenager to return home. It includes finding a remaining speck of energy to help with a homework project when every fiber in you screams with weariness.
So, for today, I am grateful for righteous mothers everywhere.
Now that motherhood is being degraded, we don't have to imagine very much to see a world of dirty, smelly, uneducated children. I am grateful for mothers who stand strong in the trenches of life. After all, the world sleeps well when women with rough hands stand at the ready.
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