Happy Mother's Day!
"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate" (Proverbs 31:30-31, NIV).
In his preschool class, my older son is watching caterpillars. Every day when I drop him off at school his teacher asks, "Do they look bigger today?" The caterpillars are positioned on a central table. My son explains that the once tiny caterpillars are getting bigger and bigger as they keep eating. Once they are big enough, they will spin cocoons.
An older class apparently started the project earlier, and they released their butterflies the other day. My son found two right outside of the school. They were surrounded by children. The butterflies were steadily flapping their wings but could not fly yet. One girl explained that they were still too new, but that they would be able to fly soon. The children were cautiously petting their wings, eager for their first flight.
It made me think about motherhood. Our children grow bigger and bigger under our care. We can watch them mature, but sometimes they do so to our surprise right under our noses. Our work is to help craft their transformations - their journey from dependent children to thriving, independent adults...And one day, we will let them go. We will watch eagerly as they spread their wings too.
I honor you today, Moms, as guides of your children's transformations. Happy Mother's Day! I celebrate your work and its goal. I wish your children a marvelous flight trajectory. And I also hope that you will have the opportunity to spread your wings anew along the way.
I'm closing with a special prayer in honor of the holiday. It offers poignant petitions as we work to serve as those guides:
In his preschool class, my older son is watching caterpillars. Every day when I drop him off at school his teacher asks, "Do they look bigger today?" The caterpillars are positioned on a central table. My son explains that the once tiny caterpillars are getting bigger and bigger as they keep eating. Once they are big enough, they will spin cocoons.An older class apparently started the project earlier, and they released their butterflies the other day. My son found two right outside of the school. They were surrounded by children. The butterflies were steadily flapping their wings but could not fly yet. One girl explained that they were still too new, but that they would be able to fly soon. The children were cautiously petting their wings, eager for their first flight.
It made me think about motherhood. Our children grow bigger and bigger under our care. We can watch them mature, but sometimes they do so to our surprise right under our noses. Our work is to help craft their transformations - their journey from dependent children to thriving, independent adults...And one day, we will let them go. We will watch eagerly as they spread their wings too.
I honor you today, Moms, as guides of your children's transformations. Happy Mother's Day! I celebrate your work and its goal. I wish your children a marvelous flight trajectory. And I also hope that you will have the opportunity to spread your wings anew along the way.
I'm closing with a special prayer in honor of the holiday. It offers poignant petitions as we work to serve as those guides:
A Mother's Prayer
Help me dear Lord, as a mother, I pray
And bless these hands folded in prayer today;
May they be ever strong as they guide, as they teach,
Beings never too far for a child to reach.
May they never, with selfishness, try to dissuade,
Nor too quickly punish, nor too slowly aid.
May they point out the pleasures in laughter and song,
And may they show, wisely, the right from the wrong,
So that one day I’ll know that I’ve helped all I can
To make her a woman, to make him a man.
By Mary A. Loberg
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