By Carolyn Tomlin
Contributing Writer, B&R
Mother’s Day is a time when we honor all mothers — those biological women who have given birth and those who have raised and loved other women’s children.
On the economic scale, Mother’s Day is a big event. According to a National Retail Federation survey, consumers are expected to spend a record amount with 84 percent of American adults planning to celebrate this year. Gifts for moms include clothing, chocolates, dining out, spa treatments, and more.
These gifts are nice, but they’re only temporary. There are many ways to honor mothers, and one way is to remember the wisdom she gave us. To remember the wisdom—and pass it on to the next generation is far more important. For me personally, my mother always said “Be able to take care of yourself and any minor children you might have.” This meant getting an education or developing a skill so you could be successful and independent if needed. And, most important…depend on God.”
Carolyn Tomlin
In asking the Sunshine Class of Woodland Baptist Church in Haywood County, Tennessee, some of the women shared wisdom from their mothers. Here are only a few: Jane Hopkins, a retired teacher said, “It’s hard to choose one particular piece of wisdom. However, I am especially appreciative of her teaching me by her words and her actions, to be kind to people and to show understanding and acceptance. Our country has been and still is experiencing much division; my mother’s lessons would serve all of us well.”
“My mother gave me many lessons about life,” says Faye Porch. “One thing she said was, ‘You can do anything you want to do. You can be anything you want to be. But always remember where you came from.”
“My mother taught her five children, by example, the importance of faithful church attendance and commitment to tithing,” adds Katrina Porch. “Unless you were too sick to attend, Sundays you were in church and if you received an allowance that week, the first thing that came out of it was your title.”
As the oldest of five children, Sue Stokely helped her mother take care of the younger children. “Mother taught me to be responsible and caring to my siblings. Being a homemaker, this came first in her life. I recall her always being home after school. We never went home to an empty house…mother was always there.”
President Abraham Lincoln is quoted as saying, “Everything I am, I owe to my mother.” Others have said, “The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.”
The Bible is our guide for parenting. Proverbs 22:6 (NIV) reads, “Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it.”
This Mother’s Day remember the sound advice and wisdom your mom gave you. Use it wisely. Share it with children and grandchildren. B&R Tomlin writes for the Christian magazine and newspaper market.
