Today there will be an endless amount of tributes to Mom’s in my Facebook news feed. Each will be filled with gratitude for all the love and support that Mom has shown them over the years. Each will testify that Mom has been their rock, their best friend, and the one who showed them how to love unconditionally and always put others first. And all of them, without exception, will essentially declare that they have the greatest Mom in the world. And I have no doubt that all of the tributes are from the heart and genuinely express just how influential their Mom has been in shaping their lives.
For I too, feel the same way about my Mom. Without a doubt, she has been the most influential person in my life. I would not be the person I am today without her. As a single mom raising two young boys, she was not able to give us all the things that most of my friends and other family members had. But what we lacked in material possessions, she more than made up for by her presence. She was always there for us. Whether it was helping me with my homework, attending a little league game, or just hanging our together, I can’t remember a single moment during my childhood when Mom wasn’t there. It was Mom who supported us when we undertook new challenges. It was Mom who loved us unconditionally despite us our failures. It was Mom who encouraged us to not give up when things got tough. And it was Mom who taught us right from wrong and how to respect others. She also taught us that money and things can’t buy happiness and that family and being there for each other was the most important thing in life. And I have carried those same values with me to this very day.
Until recently, I took for granted that this type of experience was common place for everyone. At least it seemed to be for virtually everyone I knew in my circle of friends. But recently I joined another circle when I began working at Lifepath Christian Ministries. A circle that is 180 degrees apart from the one I had always known. I began hanging out with people in this circle. I began doing life with them and pouring into their lives. And soon I discovered that most of them had a much different experience than the one I had when it came to their Mom. In many cases, Mom was not present during their childhood years. For some, illness or addiction took Mom from them at an early age. For others, Mom was present, but struggled with drug or alcohol dependency which prevented her from being the loving, supportive mother that God intended her to be. Many found their way into the foster care system and got handed off from family to family, never really experiencing what it’s like to be raised by a loving, devoted mother. And as I have discovered, this has taken a tremendous toll on their life which they carry with them well into adulthood. It is a humbling thought to consider that without the love and support that most of us have experienced from our mothers, many of us would have made similar choices in life and experienced a similar fate. You simply cannot underestimate the value of a great Mom!
So on this Mother’s Day, be grateful for you Mom. Thank her for being present. Thanks her for always being there, through the good and the bad. Thank her for showing you the way, even though you often thought your way was better (not me of course!). Thank her for loving you unconditionally despite not calling her enough (sorry Mom!). Thank her for always supporting you no matter how many poor choices you make (I’ve made a few). Even thank her for texting you at ten o’clock at night to make sure you got home safe even though you’re 52 years old (don’t know who that is?)! But most of all, thank God for blessing you with an amazing Mom!
Happy Mother’s Day!
Missionguy 
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