11 | May | 2023 | dual personalities

“Remember your mothers, especially those who spoke to you the word of God”*

by chuckofish

Well, Mother’s Day is coming up this weekend. There are lots of lists on Instagram and around the blogosphere recommending presents to give your Mom. They are almost always pretty banal–although have you seen this?

Zut alors, what will they think of next?

I know I am difficult to buy a present for. I have everything I need–“the sun and the rain and the apple seed”–and when I see a $10 chair I want, I buy it. Daughter #1 brings me flowers every Sunday, so I do not need more. The boy comes to hang out every Tuesday morning. Sometimes we go out to lunch. He does not need to take me out to lunch. Daughter #2 is in (almost) constant contact with me and we fit in hour-long phone chats as we can.

My cup already runneth over.

So the wee twins will be spending (the entire) day lavishing their own sweet mother with attention and that is as it should be. Grandmothers-in-law need to step aside. The OM and I are going over to daughter #1’s house for brunch after church. I will bring her flowers (if I remember)!

I will be thinking of my own mother who has been gone now 35 years.

I will never stop missing my mother. Sometimes I think of all the stupid things I said in her presence and how she hardly ever argued with me. When occasionally she did contradict me, I knew it was important, and I never forgot those times. It has taken me all these years to sort everything out and I think she would be in agreement with me mostly. And I know she would be proud of me and of my children. She would love them so much.

So by all means, don’t forget your mother this Sunday or any Sunday.

Here is Charles Spurgeon’s tribute to his godly mother.

“My mother said to me, one day, “Ah, Charles! I often prayed the Lord to make you a Christian, but I never asked that you might become a Baptist.” I could not resist the temptation to reply, “Ah, mother! the Lord has answered your prayer with His usual bounty, and given you exceeding abundantly above what you asked or thought.”

Here’s some good motherly advice from Garden & Gun. “Mom taught me how to use the pronouns “I” and “me” correctly. I try not to flaunt it.” —Jere B.

And here’s a good list of films featuring wonderful mothers. Personally, I think it might be time to watch How Green Was My Valley (1941) directed by John Ford, with Sara Allgood as the Welsh mother.