Mother's Day

"Who can find a virtuous woman?  She is far more precious than jewels..."  Proverbs 31:10

As Mother's Day weekend is upon us, I wanted to share a few of my thoughts about this upcoming day...

A couple years ago I heard a pastor say that until he pastored his church, he didn't realize how Mother's Day is not always the happy day that it's made out to be in our country.  For many mothers it is a reminder of the children they have lost, their hopes and dreams that have been crushed, or the pain of never getting to carry a baby.  There are mothers that have lost children to tragedy, those who have lost children to disease, and those who have lost children to complications at birth among other things.  Those women will silently feel the pain of empty arms this weekend and they should be honored too.

While many of us will go to our grandmother's for lunch on Sunday or take our moms out to eat, still there are those that are struggling with infertility.  There are those who are struggling with the loss of a children through miscarriage.  There are those who are struggling with the fact that they had to make the heart wrenching decision to put up their child for adoption because of the circumstances they were once in.  These women are no less mothers than any other.  They should be honored too.

This weekend, many will lavish their mothers and wives with praises and honors because it is the right thing to do.  Those mothers should be praised and honored for the hard work that they do on a daily basis.  But the job of the mother who lost her child is no less harder than the mother with three screaming children in the house and another on the way.  She is no less a mother than the mom who has watched her children grow up and graduate from high school and college.  She is no less a mother than the young woman who is 7 months pregnant or the mother who is celebrating her first Mother's Day with a child.  She should be honored too.

So if you see a mom this weekend that you know has lost a child, don't be afraid to wish her a "Happy Mother's Day."  Don't be afraid of the tears she may cry.  Those few tears will just be a glimpse of the life that she lives every day and the tears she sheds along the way.  Honor her with those words because the connection between her heart and the heart of her lost child will be even stronger this weekend.  She may shed those tears while you're standing there, but the thoughtfulness  and honor you show her with those words will live with her for many years to come. 

Through it all I have decided that if I have to go to Hell and back, which is where we've been this past year, I would choose no other woman to walk beside me through the fire than my wife.  She has shown grace, faith, and courage while struggling through the hardest days of our lives.  She showed as much love for our daughter in the ten and a half short hours of Selah's life as many moms will show in a lifetime.  She is so much stronger than she gives herself credit for and I am thankful for the woman that she was when I married her and the woman and mother that she is today.

This weekend, I honor you, Brittany Bennett...the mother of my daughter.  The woman who gave birth to our beautiful Selah while knowing she would probably not live more than a few hours.  The woman who cares for me and brings me joy every day.  You are and will always be a mother and I love you with every fiber in me.

Peace to all! 

"Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the time to come.  She opens her mouth with wisdom, and loving instruction is on her tongue.  She watches over the activities of her household and is never idle.  Her sons [or daughters] rise up and call her blessed.  Her husband also praises her;  Many women are capable, but you surpass them all!  Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised."  
Proverbs 31:25-30