A Mother's Love

A mother understands what a child does not say.- Jewish proverb

I was talking to a friend yesterday and relating how excited I am on
the Fridays when my son comes home from college. I always have
a big meal fixed and look so forward to catching up on his life. When
I was just seven years old, I started cooking the family meals in our
home. Therefore, I have always equated cooking with a way to
show my love to family. I enjoy it and it warms my heart when they
seem to enjoy it in return.

Yesterday, as I was cooking, I thought of my dear mother-in-law.
When I first married my husband, it seemed so strange that we
were expected to show up EVERY Sunday for a big family meal
at his mother's house. This was a tradition that I wasn't familiar
with and on some Sunday's, I just wanted to go home from church
and vegetate after a long work week. However, I warmed to this
tradition very quickly. His mother stood for over 8 hours every
day through the week on a hard concrete floor at her job. Yet, on
Friday, she would head to the grocery and pick out a menu for
our Sunday get-togethers. She always prepared a special meal
with love and was always hopeful that everyone could show up.

I remember one Sunday when she had fixed her famous fried
chicken with homemade "little" biscuits and gravy and all the
fixings. That particular Sunday, all the kids and grand kids
showed up. She usually fixed such a big meal, that there were
enough leftovers for supper, too. On that Sunday, the chicken
ran out rather quickly. About five hours later, my husband
leaves for a few minutes and comes back with two big packages
of chicken and says, "Mom, could you fry us some more chicken
for supper?" That poor woman got up and fried two more chickens,
made biscuits and gravy. Oh.....A Mother's Love........

Years later, we would laugh about that memory. We all asked her
why in the world she agreed to fry all that chicken. She said
because he asked me to. She loved her kids beyond measure.
She once told me that as my kids got older my worry would change.
She explained that when they are small and have a problem, we
can jump in and try to help them solve it. When they are adults,
we are just as worried, but sometimes lack the ability to solve
their problems. They are beyond our control or ability to help.
She said that those are the kinds of problems that worry you even
more. I didn't understand it at the time, but that was a profound
observation. Your kids are always your babies, no matter what
their ages and you always worry and pray for their lives to be
smooth.

This weekend will be hard for me. I miss my mom and mother-in-
law. The last few years of both of their lives, it was me that fixed
meals for them. My mother-in-law always enjoyed my meals
so much and was always so appreciative. I miss her. I miss her
for so many reasons, but I'm thankful that she taught me the
importance of family and the fellowship that goes with a meal
prepared with love.

Happy Mother's Day!

"God could not be everywhere and therefore He made mothers".-
Jewish Proverb