That Maiden Journey

Do you remember the time when you finally sat down and talked with your parents?  As they spoke about their lives, you had that moment when you discovered just how little you knew about them.  Theirs was a life so rich and colorful as any could be.  They became two of the smartest people as we began to look at them in a much different light.
 

Some of my greatest inspirations came from my mom.  She was the most humble and kind person I will ever know.  She was smart and capable of handling anything we dealt out and for having ten children, I call that a feat of legend domain.  She believed as much in the needs of others as she did in her faith and acted appropriately.

I will never forget her.  She will always be my best friend and I miss her companionship each and every day.  But I know that she is with me in spirit and is guiding me.  I hear her in a whisper to make my bed, wash the dishes, clean the house and to be a kinder person to my family and friends.

Such is the unselfish life of a mother – loving, giving and sacrificing.  Mother Mary, for all her wisdom, was the model by which all earthly mothers follow.  She held nothing back when it came to the needs of her son.  Nothing was too great for her to give of herself and of her time.  She spent her life relinquishing the spotlight so that He could carry out His role.

That is a lesson we could all follow as parents and people of Christ – to allow our children and family to outshine us, to find their purpose here on Earth.  We hear so much about what Mary and what all mothers’ give away each day.  Remember, they are not meant to be a timid devotion but a presence.  We go to them for love and affection but forget that they are intercessors and warriors for God.  They are our avenue by which we can reach the very ears of Christ.

We are sometimes so enamored by their beauty and grace, and rightfully so, that we miss the rhyme behind the reason.  Mothers are the strength behind the throne, silently commanding the stage but doing so with love and care.  Blessed Pope John Paul II once said that “Motherhood shows a creativity on which the humanity of each human being largely depends; it also invites man to learn and to express his own fatherhood. Thus women contribute to society and to the Church their ability to nurture human beings". 

Mothers, in that sense, hold our hands for a while and our hearts forever.  We begin to understand our responsibility to prayer and sacrifice, not only for ourselves but for all humanity.  We go along life with its many twists and turns but magically seem to always come back full circle to that maiden journey called home. 

May God bless you and keep you.  May Mother Mary guide you and pray for you.  May the wind be at your backs and may His peace be with you, always.