Reflecting on the great need and responsibilities of Mothers! (5.10.18)

Published 5/10/2018

How old am I? One of the big stories of this week is that Meghan Markle’s mother is on her way to London, England to be with her daughter on Mother’s Day and spend a week with her preparing for the last minutes of wedding preparations on May 19, 2018. This will be the first time her African-American mother will be meeting the royal family. I remember what seemed to be a few years ago watching early in the morning Princess Diana getting married to Prince Charles. That was back on July 29, 1981. I never dreamed that one day I would be watching both of their sons get married and have children. I really never expected that Prince Harry the youngest son would get married to an African-American. And a Hollywood actress who I had been watching on Suits would end up being a princess in England. I always thought she played a good role of a secretary who later became a lawyer, but I never knew it was really preparing her for a role as a future princess. Someone has said that watching the royal family is like watching the longest running reality TV show in the history of television. The truth is we probably all feel that way about our own families. And the key character in the majority of our families is the role played by mother. This is truly a plot change that we didn’t see coming. For hundreds of years the royal family in England has ruled over different countries that were majority Black or Colored. Never in the history did they see their complexion in any member of the royal family, but now a new day has dawned. How brave is Prince Harry to make this choice? How unique was Princess Diana to bring up her children in a way that this choice would even be thought about to be made? Even though Princess Diana died back on August 31, 1997, she is still bringing change to our world through her sons and their choices.

It is said that a London Editor once made up a list of people who had taught Winston Churchill. The list was shown to Mr. Churchill, and he returned it with this comment: “You have omitted mention of the greatest of my teachers – my mother.”

For better or for worse, every mother is a teacher to her family and makes a deeper imprint on her children then most other teachers. Someone has said that when the devil robs a man, the last thing he takes from him is what he learned at his mother’s knee.

All mothers need our prayer and support. The world reaps great havoc sometimes when a mother’s love is thwarted, misdirected, or denied in a young life, if another woman or mother does not step in to their life. Giving birth to a child does not make you a mother. On the other hand, her love’s fulfillment takes root in a motivation that produces man or woman at his or her very best. God’s word said she would be a “help meet.” Some take that as a put down; I think it is a “praise up.” The car is nice but with out the “help meet” of the engine it can not fulfill its purpose. In an age where we all have declared our independence from each other, and we don’t need anybody is the spirit of the day. I know its bad English, but “Isn’t it nice to know somebody loves you for just being you? Honey, that a help!”

It was not a mere accident or coincidence that Walter Scott’s mother was a great lover of poetry; or that Byron’s mother was a proud women, ill-tempered and violent; or that Nero’s mother was a murderess; or that Napoleon’s mother was a woman of prodigious energy; or that Patrick Henry’s mother was a distinguished talker; or that Lord Bacon’s mother was remarkable for her superior mental gifts; or that John Wesley’s mother had executive ability, or that George Washington’s mother was devout, pure, true, and of the loftiest character. There’s something more involved than pure chance. A Mother’s decisions in her life affect the traffic in the life of her children. Some decisions have to be made with the understanding how will this affect the next generation?

Any woman responding to this responsibility is a great light; any woman neglecting it causes a dark shadow. One that can be overcome, but why throw more shadows in any child’s life. No matter how beautiful the house is built, how well painted and how beautifully decorated, or how well lighted, don’t fool yourself, it’s that woman, that mother, that is the real light, beauty, and heart of that home.

There is no man, no matter how stupid he may be, that can’t reach his potential no matter how small it may be, if he has the right woman in his life. There is no husband who can be defeated in his courage, when his wife is cheerful and appreciative. Yes, Mother’s can be the breath of a happy life. Someone said, “Happy Wife is a Happy Life!” Without the love of a mother sometimes the home feels like it has no pulse. Mothers take well your gift, you help guide the destiny of your child, your country, and your world!

You may think of Mother’s Day as a day of roses and perfume, greeting cards and family togetherness, and well it should be in every family. But to the merchants and marketers of America, Mother’s Day is a billion dollar bonanza that makes cash registers sing almost as sweetly as they do during the Christmas season.

“When people ask me what to give their Mother’s for Mother’s Day, I tell them “their love and their time,” said Ted Kaufman, who at one time was the chairman of the National Mother’s Day Committee. But, he admits, the day means big bucks to American retailers. Kaufman went on to say that his study shows” about 95% of all American families celebrate Mother’s Day, which was first proposed in 1904 and officially designated a national holiday by President Woodrow Wilson in 1914.

So as Meghan Markle’s mother comes to meet the royal family, how they receive her will show how far the royal family has come and maybe how far our world has come. Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers past, present, and future!