by Steven Farrar
In Henry VI William Shakespeare wrote: Seal up your lips, and give no words but mum.
Here he calls for silence – mums the word – but I won’t be mute on mothers day at least!
Sir Paul McCartney of iconic Beatles fame was 14 when his mother died aged 57. He honoured her by writing: When I find myself in times of trouble Mother Mary comes to me speaking words of wisdom, let it be.…
Genesis 3:20 tells us that: The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.
One such person was the biblical Hannah who each year would make a robe for her precious son Samuel, who lived away from home. How Samuel must have cherished his yearly gift as a reminder of family and home. Hannah was a simple woman who had no pretension to public life, but shaped the character of a boy who became a man who would guide, advise and restore a nation.
There was also Monica of the 4th century who prayed each day for her son Augustine. Augustine would later become one of the greatest influencers of Western Christendom. In his work entitled Confessions, which ranks among the great masterpieces of western literature, he speaks of the confidence, patience and gentleness of his peacemaking loving mother. When Monica died aged 56 Augustine wrote: I have lost the immense support she gave me, my soul was wounded, and my life as it were torn to pieces, since my life and hers had become a single thing.
Yes, we thank all those self sacrificing mums who influenced for the good
We thank God for mums who listened, who eased our pain, gave us an appreciation of beauty, hugged us to sleep, loved us unconditionally, gave us fun, laughter and joy, fed us, clothed us, defended us like a lioness and made us wash behind the ears!
For myself, I loved my mother, as a son. Her premature loss to cancer at 54 was irreplaceable. I tear up just thinking about her and remember the teardrops dropping down onto the wooden church floor at her funeral. As Shakespeare wrote in King Henry V: all my mother came into mine eyes and gave me up to tears.
Mum was sunny and bright as her North Qld birthplace. She was my go-to person as the one who listened, comforted, mended, cared. She was the balm, the soothing, that took away my fears and worries. Mum did not have academic skills, but she knew how to relate to people. She loved people, and they loved her.
Since she is now long passed there is no mum for comfort, reassurance and motherly wisdom. Only photos and fading memories. But I hope to see her soon, for as the promise goes; For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
So, as someone has said; let us never underestimate or diminish motherhood in our economics obsessed world.
God bless those mothers who have left a legacy of genuine motherhood and womanhood for others to emulate. May they be respected and honoured, past, present and future.
P.S I acknowledge the pain and tragedy of those who in seeking motherhood have been denied, for one reason or another, or who have experienced mothers who were/are difficult. We live in a world where all is not as it could be, but we await the new heavens and the new earth where there will be no more heartache.