Thanks, Mom!

I just read an email from a friend. It was about mothers. And it started me thinking ...

Remember those days when the only times your kids talked to you (or so it seemed) were when you were on the phone? Remember those times when it seemed like you were only a pair of hands to fix this or tie that or open something else. It gets worse, doesn't it? What about the clock mom? "What time is it?" Of the chauffeur mom? "Be sure to pick me up right at 4:30. I hate you to be late." (That might even come from the child who is mostly always late now and it's no biggie!)

I remember a "best friend" asking me when I was newly married with one son (and she was newly married with no child and still going to school and feeling very important), "How can you just bury yourself away doing nothing but being married and a mom?" I was flabbergasted then and still am. I didn't feel buried away nor did I feel like I was wasting my education and abilities. To the contrary, I felt I was using it all in the most important job in the world. Almost forty years later I still feel that way!

Back to the email. The author told of receiving a book on the great cathedrals of Europe from a friend (probably one with no kids and a flourishing "career.") The inscription inside read: "To Carol, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees." How cool is that?! Carol's friend saw what my friend didn't - she saw value and purpose in undercover heroes!

That's just what a mother is: an undercover hero!!!

Why a book on the great cathedrals of Europe? Did you ever think about it? How many of the great cathedrals of Europe can you bring to mind? Notre Dame, St. Peter's, Westminster ... Now, here's another question: who designed and built these great edifices? Duh! Unless that's your niche of knowledge you probably can't come up with a single name. These designers and builders gave lifetimes and made huge sacrifices to leave enduring structures of beauty. Most of them had to know that only God might remember their names, see and record their hard work and sacrifice. How like a mother, isn't it?

Then the email made one more point. Which is the more valuable treasure for the heart of a mother - to hear your child extol your hard work getting up at the crack of dawn to prepare for a holiday meal or your hours of planning and putting together some special family memory OR just to hear your child say to a friend he or she has brought home, "Come on in. You're gonna LOVE it here!"

My friend who didn't see purpose and value in being "just" a wife and mother probably still doesn't "get" it, but that's okay. It's the undercover hero moms of the world who raised the men and women who grew up to live and love and make a difference in our world! It's these undercover hero moms who spend their days assisting God in His work of restoration. The heart of a child is the greatest venue for restoration I know, and moms (and grandmoms) get to be God's specially placed assistant in this incredible process!