April 7 - Mother's Day

Mother’s Day is this coming Sunday and it is always a challenge for a minister and/or for a church to decide how to deal with this day.  When I grew up in the church, mothers always received recognition and sometimes a flower on Mother’s Day.  But over the years traditions have shifted and changed.  This happened partly because some people had horrible, even abusive mothers, or mothers who abandoned them.  It is hard to pretend that all mothers are the source of comfort, love and affection, when indeed that is not necessarily the case.  In some homes it is the father who takes on the nurturing, caring role.  I know a young couple in Seattle where the wife is a high-powered lawyer and the husband stays at home and is responsible for nurturing and raising their daughter.  And then there are women who desperately want to be mothers, but physically are unable accomplish this.  Mother’s Day can be a painful reminder for them.  You can probably see why ministers and churches tread lightly when it comes to recognizing Mother’s Day.

So this Sunday we remember mothers, and those who were like mothers to us, who nurtured us, cared for us, and held us in their hearts as we moved into adulthood and independence.  I was fortunate, my mother was a stay-at-home mom who poured herself into raising and caring for my brother and me.  But today I recall not only that she deeply cared, I also recall that as she aged and grew frail and forgetful, the tables turned.  She was the one who was cared for by her adult children, sometimes better than others.  The one who cared for us became the one who needed to be cared for.

This Mother’s Day I celebrate those people who care for others, who nurture, support and stand with another person, be it a child, a teenager, a vulnerable person, or an older person whose best before date has expired.  May you have a Happy Mother’s Day!

Shalom,

The Rev. Dr. Dale W. Johnson