Mother’s Day 2020
On this day in 2020 when the world seems to be an upside down place, we give thanks for our Mothers and thanks to them. When your Mom has passed, you often wonder if you thanked her enough. As we grow up and live first hand the rights of passage that a mother experiences, we feel a rush of guilt at times and it dawns on us that our Mother sacrificed a great deal to bring us from birth into adulthood. My daughters are in the midst of raising toddlers and I just smile inside when I see them repeating the “no” for the “umteenth” time, and telling them to eat their dinner so they will grow big and strong. The circle of life plays once again. Even though my Mom has been gone over two years, her voice of wisdom and truth speak to me at these moments. She was a person of few words and she had a shyness that I didn’t notice until I was adult, but when she spoke, it was usually something important to hear.
I mentioned in my About Me page that my family was musical. One of my fondest memories of Mom was to hear her hum melodies during the day when she was cooking, ironing and doing other chores around the house. She had a beautiful voice and occasionally would sing duets with my dad. There is an old song called, “Be Still and Know,” based on the verse in the Bible: Psalm 46:10 that my parents sang together. The entire Psalm reflects on God being our refuge and strength, a help in hard times and a calm when there seems to be none. There have been days in the last month I have felt panic and anxiety at what is happening to us and what the future holds when this pandemic ceases to be the news of the day. “This too shall pass” is a popular phrase and I never really liked someone saying it to me. When you are in the deep, it feels a bit uncompassionate as if to say, “don’t worry about it.” But we still worry. I know if Mom were here, she would not say, “this too shall pass,” but “be still and know.” Because she believed that storms could last a long time and her life was proof of that. She weathered more losses and disappointments than anyone I know. She lost her own Mother when she was seven days old, and life proved to be hard with a stepmom who became the mother of four step children and one of her own when my Mom was two. Later, she experienced the loss of her six month old baby sister and an older brother died when he was just sixteen. As hard as it is to comprehend, the trials she endured only deepened her faith. She exemplified to me what it means to be still and wait for what God was going to do, then to have faith that He would help her through the pain and struggle.
Our granddaughter will be two weeks old this week and I cannot fathom my daughter not being there to care for her three babies. I also know that both my girls have experienced miscarriages and have openly shared how they live with that loss. On Mother’s Day, we cannot forget that with the celebration, comes loss. It is a bittersweet holiday. Many of you cannot be with your Moms, and if your Mom is in the late stages of dementia, you may feel like you have already lost her. If I can offer any words of compassion, it would be the words my Mom often said or sang to me. “Be Still and Know that He is God.” Take comfort that you are not alone. There is a strength and comfort with God. His power over the storms of life will prevail. We will still worry and have days of anxiety, and frustration, but regardless of your current situation, know that you are loved. I hope your Mother’s Day is a good one. Be still and know.
Grateful for Moms,
Brenda
