As Mother's Day approaches, I take the time to reflect on all that my mother has done for me, been for me, and endured with me. I am amazed by it all and am struck once again by how strong she is. All mothers deserve to be honored on Mother's Day. There are many mothers who have done some of the same things mine has, but hopefully very few. I'm afraid I did not make raising me an easy process for that last few years at home, or even for the first few away from home. Here are the top ten reasons that my mom deserves to be treated like a queen on Mother's Day, so if you see her, be sure to remember a bow or a curtsy to pay homage to this wonderful woman.
1)She gave birth to me. I know, all the mothers did this, but mine did it a month after her sixteenth birthday and as a poor person alone. No hospital for her, she was in the cold, open room of a clinic. Beside her was one woman having twins and one whose baby was a stillbirth, which all left her at the bottom of the list in priority. A body full of drugs later, she accomplished her task, with little memory except absolute agony.
2)This woman potty-trained me. I could still be in diapers, but she braved it and stuck me in panties, even though she knew there would be a terrible mess to clean up if I wasn't a quick learner. Not to mention that she risked all pride and took me out in public in them. Enough said...
3)I was allowed to play youth sports, which also required her to, at least occasionally, brave the elements to watch them. I, by some miracle, shot the most baskets in our school basketball shoot-off, which meant that I got to go and represent our school for the county. How many baskets did I make that day? Zero, none, nada, and she cheered for me with every miss.
4)My mom became a single parent as I entered adolescence. When my stepfather left us, it was up to her to take on the role of sole provider. Having had me so young, she never finished her education and with no real marketable skills, took work in a factory. She rode her bicycle in all weather since we didn't own a car. Today, she has chronic pain and lives with the effects of several injuries she got while doing manual labor so that I could eat and do a few of the things that weren't absolutely necessary.
5)Relearning math has to be worthy of honor. I am academically inclined by nature in every subject, but math. Adding and subtracting are no problem, but who was the genius that thought of adding letters to the problems? It sure wasn't me and apparently, it wasn't my mom either, but together we limped through it.
6)My teen years were so filled with anger and complete disgust with this woman who had sacrificed all she ever wanted to raise me. Why? Because she hadn't been near as perfect as I thought I was. I didn't know she had feelings, but now, as I raise my own teens, I sure do. I am sorry for all the rotten things I said, the dirty looks that told her how stupid I found her to be, the way I treated her in general. For dealing with that, I honor her.
7)For the nights she allowed me to go on dates, even though she had to stay up and wait for me, I thank her. She had to get up at the crack of dawn to go to work and labor through another day, but that never occurred to me as I begged her to let me stay out an hour later than she wanted me to.
8)My mother had to live every day with the hope that I would live through mine. I was depressed to the point of being suicidal, I cried many days away, and never let her know what was wrong. All she could do was pray and hug me when I'd let her. I woke up many nights to seeing her sitting by my bed shedding her own tears and crying out to God for help. Not help for herself, help for me.
9)When I came in at sixteen and broke the news that I was to become a mother myself, she didn't yell or make me feel dumb. With tears in her eyes, she said one thing that has always stayed with me. She told me that we'd do this together and everything would be okay.
10)My mom deserves to be treated like a queen because when she said what she did in number nine, she really meant it. When I had to move back home with my three children, she opened the doors and her arms to welcome us all. When I cry watching my own daughters go through the tumults of their own teen years, I don't cry alone. No matter what my life has handed over, I have always had my mom right there beside me.
Is there any queen who has ever given more for her people than my mother has for me? Not that I know of. For all those reasons, my mother deserves to be treated like royalty. Although she deserves it every day, I am often forgetful. But, on Mother's Day, I reflect and I remember. As I do, my heart overflows with gratitude and love for this woman who gave her all for me.