Happy Mother’s Day
Proverbs 31:20, 25-29
She opens her hand to the poor, yes,
she reaches out her filled hands to the needy
[whether in body, mind, or spirit].
Strength and dignity are her clothing
and her position is strong and secure;
she rejoices over the future
[the latter day or time to come, knowing
that she and her family are in readiness for it]!
She opens her mouth in skillful and godly Wisdom,
and on her tongue is the law of kindness
[giving counsel and instruction].
She looks well to how things go in her household,
and the bread of idleness
(gossip, discontent, and self-pity) she will not eat.
Her children rise up and call her blessed
(happy, fortunate, and to be envied);
and her husband boasts of and praises her, [saying],
Many daughters have done virtuously, nobly, and well
[with the strength of character
that is steadfast in goodness],
but you excel them all.
Amplified Bible.
The young mother set her foot on the path of life.
“Is the way long?” she asked.
And her Guide said: “Yes. and the way is hard.
And you will be old before you reach the end of it.
But the end will be better than the beginning.”
But the young mother was happy,
and she would not believe that anything
could be better than these years.
So she played with her children,
and gathered flowers for them along the way,
and bathed with them in the clear streams;
and the sun shone on them and life was good,
and the young mother cried,
“nothing will ever be lovelier than this.”
Then night came, and storm,and the path was dark,
and the children shook with fear and cold,
and the mother drew them close
and covered them with her mantle, and the children said,
“O Mother, we are not afraid,
for you are near, and no harm can come,”
and the mother said,
“This is better than the brightness of day,
for I have taught my children courage.”
And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead,
and the children climbed and grew weary,
and the mother was weary,
but at all times she said to the children,
“A little patience and we are there.”
So the children climbed,
and when they reached the top, they said,
“We could not have done it without you, Mother.”
And the mother, when she lay down that night,
looked at the stars and said:
“This is a better day than the last,
for my children have learned fortitude
in the face of hardness.
Yesterday I gave them courage,
today I have given them strength.”
And the next day came,
strange clouds which darkened the earth—
clouds of war and hate and evil,
and the children groped and stumbled,
and the mother said,
“Look up. Lift your eyes to the Light.”
and the children looked
and saw above the clouds an Everlasting Glory,
it guided them and brought them beyond the darkness.
And that night the mother said:
“This day is the best day of all,
for I have shown my children God.”
And the days went on,
and the weeks and the months and the years,
and the mother grew old, and she was little and bent.
But her children were tall and strong,
and walked with courage.
And when the way was hard, they helped their mother,
and when the way was rough, they lifted her,
for she was as light as a feather;
and at last they came to a hill,
and beyond the hill they could see
a shining road and golden gate flung wide.
And the mother said:
“I have reached the end of my journey.
And now I know that the end is better
than the beginning for my children can walk alone,
and their children after them.”
And the children said:
“You will always walk with us, Mother,
even when you have gone through the gates.”
And they stood and watched her as she went on alone,
and the gates closed after her.
And they said, “We cannot see her,
but she is with us still.
A mother like ours is more than a memory.
She is a living presence.”
Temple Bailey from Food for thought
Thank you, Mom, for being the wonderful example of a true mother. i am so very blessed that you are sill with me this Mother’s Day. I can still learn from your wisdom and grace.
I Love You. Leslie Anne
Thoughts of Grace 