Mother’s day is not like it used to be for me—and that’s true for all of us at some point.
I remember the Mother’s days as a child when Mama would pin red roses on our Sunday dresses in honor of our living mother. I remember when Mama started wearing the white rose because Granny had passed away that year.
I remember the days before children came along. My husband and I were busy picking out gifts and making plans for our mothers, and making sure our dads remembered to get something for their wives, or to be more exact, going out and buying something for them to give.
Like many mothers, I always find myself thinking of my baby, Matthew, in heaven. That always makes Mother’s Day a day of mixed emotions. For many women those mixed emotions come because of the children they had longed for, but never came.
Then there were the breakfast in bed Mother’s Days. I was instructed to stay in bed until breakfast came—no matter how long that might take! I was used to rushing around the house making sure we were all going to be ready so we could get to church on time. But not on Mother’s Day. Sometimes, just waiting seemed even harder than making breakfast and getting everyone ready to go. But no matter what we had for breakfast, it was a joyful time.
My mother and my mother-in-law won’t be here for Mother’s Day this year. But I can rest in the fact that every day for them is more joyful than the best Mother’s Days here.
Children grow up and move away. I suppose I’ll fix my own breakfast on Mother’s day. And that’s okay. That’s the way life is supposed to be. But I can be thankful for the people in my life, both past and present.
These days Mother’s Day is much simpler, but certainly not better. We all love things that make life easier. But the best blessings always make life more complicated. The best blessings are the people in our lives, and the more people we love, the more complicated life may seem. But loving people is always worth it.
What do we do when Mother’s Day becomes a bittersweet day? We can keep it simple and a little sad, or we can look around us at those for whom this day is always sad, and we can reach out to them with the love of Jesus. Ask yourself who around you might be having a hard day on Mother’s Day? Then ask yourself how could you make that a better day for them? Then do that! In making a joyful day for someone else, you will make a joyful day for yourself!