The painting above is titled “Patience,” one of the nine fruits of the spirit bestowed upon us by the Creator.
In the U.S., Mother’s Day is coming up and I think most of us would agree that the vocation of motherhood requires a lot of patience.
Moms are the primary teachers and authorities on how to interact in the world with grace and compassion. Our moms encouraged us to share, assured us that our identities were not defined by what our friends thought of us and offered forgiveness “seventy-times-seven”-plus. In adulthood, the selfless service our moms becomes crystal clear as we raise our own children.
No one can influence family life like a mother, yet the job is often willingly given away to other children, schools, media or corporations. Maybe people just don’t know how important the job is because there’s no money tied to it. Maybe some are jealous of the power of mothers. Maybe their own mothers weren’t able to teach them its worthiness.
I’m not talking about getting help if you work outside the home. I’m talking about the deeper stuff…having the talks around the table or in the car where the family’s beliefs are passed on and a child learns her value. I’m talking about the impact of living your life with integrity so daughters and sons have high expectations of themselves. There are just jobs that should not be farmed out, and mothering is one of them.
Without mothers, we might be strong, but we might not learn how to serve.
Without mothers, we might be able to deal with fear, but we might not learn to comfort.
Without mothers, we might know what to die for, but we might not learn what to live for.
Without mothers, we might have a house, but we might lack the creativity that makes a home.
Without mothers, we might know honor, but we might not learn our faith traditions.
Without mothers, we might know what is right, but we might not know how to be kind.
We live on a planet desperately lacking in enough peace and compassion. It’s not that the resource is depleted. It’s just that we don’t always empower our best teachers, our moms, to feel good about teaching it. The currency of thoughtful children and a peaceful home should be honored more than the power of paper money, but that is not always the case. Yet mothers soldier on anyway, with unending patience. Go Mothers!
Purchase a matted print of “Patience” here or an art card here.
See more stories by artists who love their mothers here: www.nerdwallet.com/coupons/contests
