I was on the phone early this morning with a close friend. We chatted like old friends do even without first warming our tummies with breakfast. Coffee for her, cereal for me. Then our chat got to talking bout her children in the States. Struggling she said and at this point a mother's heart broke down. How she wished that she could gather all their burdens and carry them on her shoulders. Oh yeah, a female Atlas with the weight of the world (her kids' world anyhow) on her small shoulders. But those are typically the very thoughts of a mother for her children.
Choking with emotion and I suppose with tears streaming down her face, she spoke how life was and is still tough going for them. Land of Promise? Nah but yes eventually you could get to that point but not after you have given your blood, sweat, and tears for it. It's not offered on a silver spoon.
My friend is a devoted mother --- she'll cross the seven seas or climb Kilimanjaro for her children.... or skin a human being alive if he dares hurt any one of them. Well, she would given the reason! She's a darling mother and friend. So precious to me.
Now why am I telling her story? Because I want to say this........
Hard as it may be to accept this but our children are now grown. Individuals now traveling down their own life roads .. as designed by God. They will struggle.. cry.. laugh.. rejoice.. hurt.. be saddened.. frustrated.. disappointed.. angry.. ride high and low or be tossed about by the winds of strife. They will go through it ---- we can't do it for them. They will learn their own life lessons or fail at it. They will reap their own failures or successes.... punishment or reward. While we stand at a distance... watching... with our hearts pierced with the sharpest sword that can ever pierce a mother's heart. Our pain bigger than the wound it creates.
But if you as a mother did your job well, as God designed you to .... you can stand there confident knowing in your heart that ....
'you have raised your child in the way he should go...
and that he shall not depart from it'.
That is your comfort and peace. You have raised a winner. And a winner will he be all through his life, even long after you have gone. And don't worry cos ... God who took good care of you is the same God who will take care of your children.
God bless all the mothers in the world!!
Very true. As children, we may not realize what our mothers have been for us, until we don the role of motherhood ourselves. Even the littlest things can worry a mother, which would look trivial until you step into her shoes. God bless mothers, indeed!
ReplyDeleteSo nice to see you, RGB. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Truly appreciated. Hope your having a lovely day. Blessings to you and your loved ones.
DeleteEllen,
ReplyDeleteRight you are. You can not keep spoonfeeding children all their life. Right way of upbringing is to let them start shouldering responsibilities as per age they grow. You may give them guidance and share your own experiences but they have to cross each obstacle at their own, though at times if need be you may give them a boost but effort has to be their. One needs to keep in mind that one day they will be left to fend for themselves when time comes for one to be back in pavilion.
Take care
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this, Jack. I always look forward to such comments from you. Hope you're having a wonderful weekend. Blessings to you and your loved ones.
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