Mother's Day 2009

"I am the vine, you are the branches." John 15:5

Today is Mother's Day and I can't help but think about how much my mother has influenced my life. She taught me countless things over the years - how to sew, how to bake pies, make jelly,hang clothes on the line, iron, paint - to name a few. My mother was a life long Girl Scout. When she was a child she participated in scouts, then as an adult she became a leader and on the Council. She is always teaching and sharing her faith and experience with others. But most of all, she has taught me by example that the two best things to get through life are prayer and laughter. My mother has an infectious laugh, and she loves to be silly with children and grand children. She also prays constantly, for every body and every circumstance.

Jesus reminds his disciples the visceral connection they have to God through Jesus. Like a mother is connected to a child through an umbilical cord, so are we tightly connected to God through Jesus. The separation that we feel is but temporary, and God is constantly caring for us, nurturing and feeding us, strengthening us for the work ahead.

I am especially grateful today for my Mom. She taught me to be rooted in God, to count on God for everything and to pray in all circumstances. And she taught me to laugh and be joyful, despite the present circumstances, since God was caring for even the small things in our lives. May we give thanks today for all those who have taught us to know God and love the people around us. And may we laugh and enjoy one another this day. For God gives us mothers to remind us to live, God makes some of us mothers so that we might laugh with joy, and God invites us to be intimately connected so the world might know love this day.