A Tribute To A Special Woman ............................5/13/12

I'm bumping this up. I wrote the following last year.  The words are just as true today as they were then.  I wish you a great Mother's Day.

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        A special thanks to all mothers dropping by today. Your selfless
work is unending and not appreciated as much as it deserves.  I value the critical role you fulfill in society.  Your children are safe and sane, because of your efforts; they've were (or are)  well tended to, because of you:

Sweater, n.:  garment worn by a child when its mother is feeling chilly.  ~Ambrose Bierce

       Mothers, thanks for the values you instill(ed) in your children. I appreciate my mom demonstrated unending love and grace.

The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.     ~Honoré de Balzac

        For female readers, isn't it humbling knowing that:

Thou art thy mother's glass, and she in thee
Calls back the lovely April of her prime.

~William Shakespeare    

        My mother died two-and-a-half years ago, in my arms, on her birthday. I'm grateful I was with her when she went to the heavenly home prepared for her. Nonetheless, she still lives within me.
        Even though she's no longer present, I'm grateful for the fingerprints she's left on my soul. Today's gratitudes will focus on my lovely, sweet mom, Cecilia.
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1. I'm thankful for her humor. To see the lighter side of life, I learned from Mom. This inn would not exist, if it weren't for her. My hope and joy are gifts first awakened by my mother's attentive care and her example.

2. My outlook in life was influenced by her kindness and gentleness.  I learned to overlook a matter, by the grace she exhibited towards those who were less than kind towards her.  She taught me to ask, "how important is it?"
      Many issues that would consume me, if I weren't careful, are seen as not worth my grief, after asking that question.  Without my mom's influence, this inn wouldn't exist.

3. I appreciate the boundaries she taught. She, by my side as a lad, instructed me in the ways of God. From her, I learned right from wrong, to be considerate towards all.

4.  I'm grateful for her example of faith.  As a young boy, kneeling beside her in church---or at home---when she prayed, I was struck by her earnestness.  Mom's example impressed upon me the importance of regularly talking with God. 
      She instilled a habit that allows me  to make it through the day, week, month or year, when stressed.  I don't live this life well without God's help.  I've learned that I'm as strong spiritually as I am in my prayer. 
      If I'm weak in this spiritual discipline, so is my spiritual strength.

5. I celebrate her love for music. Because of her passion for it, I love music and am a musician. Thanks, Mom, for awakening an appreciation for a language that conveys emotion in so many brilliant ways.

6.  I'm thankful for her cooking.  Many warm memories I have of her, in the kitchen.  The meals she'd prepare for us kids, were exceptional.  
        I loved the cakes she baked.  Her resourcefulness in feeding her large brood and satisfying all of us was a regular feat of hers.

7. I rejoice when I recall her laughter.  My heart warms as I hear it now resonating within the halls of my memory.

8.  I'm thankful one day, I'll travel to where she is, and along with other departed loved ones, I'll fellowship with her, enjoy her motherly touch, hear her delightful laughter, take in her loving looks and luxuriate in her love, once again.
9.  Most of all, I cherish her love for me.  Though tired---worn weary---tending to six kids, she always made time for us. I thrived because of her affectionate, tender love. I would not be one hundredth the man I am, without her influence.  I agree with the following:

If the whole world were put into one scale, and my mother in the other, the whole world would jump off the beam.  ~Lord Langdale

Thanks Mom, for being an incarnation of God's giving, gracious love.

How About You?
Readers, may I invite you to share your gratitudes about your mother? I'd love hearing them.