Pondering over mothering Sunday

by R. L. Fernando

As Christians all over the world, keep the season of Lent, set by the Church's calendar, a special Sunday called Mothering Sunday or Refreshment Sunday is celebrated and it is the midpoint of this solemn season of Lent.

Today March 18 we celebrate this day, which is filled with beautiful symbolisms of the expressions of our love and gratitude to our beloved Mothers. I count it a privilege to share my thoughts with mothers, grandmothers and mothers-to-be.

In certain churches, the children of the Bible school shower their mothers with gifts, cards and flowers and this could be the highlight of church service and a tribute of love to our mothers. It is said "The happiest years of our life, are spent in the arms of another man's wife and that is Our Mother".

As we recall the days gone by, we see that parents have been, a part and parcel of family life but with the passage of time we see children once married, opt to live on their own - thus making way for special days such as Mothering Sunday, Mothers' day etc.

With the onslaught of Western Culture to our land Sri Lanka, we too get caught up in the swim. In a highly commercialised world, where everything is metred in terms of money, shopkeepers make the best of it by printing cards, putting out floral tributes and gifts to celebrate this occasion. Hoteliers even present a special branch for the occasion.

How much better and richer wouldn't be if only we could make every Sunday - a Mothering Sunday, where we would make our beloved mother happy by a kind word or even a caring gesture.

As Christian mothers, we have enough strength and wisdom from God's Word which is the fount of all wisdom and knowledge in nurturing our children in the "fear and nuture of Our Lord".

The proverbs remind us "train up a child in the way he should and when he is old he will not depart from it". Again the psalms remind us "That children are a blessing from the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is his reward". As parents, we are required to lead lives of good example and lives of sacrifice, so as to afford the "Best in Life for our children.

A mother's versatality of character and tenacity of love and concern are hard to match, in a world where values have turned "Downside Up". A mother plays many roles on the stage of life being what she is, she could also fit into the role of a wife, a teacher, an excellent cook and gardener, a disciplinarian a friend and a confidante, and a makeshift chauffeur.

Whatever situation life demands, she would be there to perform the duties perfectly and with no extra remuneration, fringe benefits, or even "perks", as the world would put it. Maybe, she is not appreciated, but it could be said that her name is on God's payroll.

This speaks volumes for itself.

Sometimes we love to hear beautiful sentiments expressed by our children in appreciation of all the hard work that mothers have done, we often see these sentiments expressed in cards specially printed for Mothering Sunday.

In the year 1915 Howard Johnson wrote about Mom in this way -

M is for the million things she gave me,

O means only that she's growing old,

T is for the tears she shed to save me,

H is for her heart of purest Gold:

E is for her eyes, with love-light shining,

R is for right, and right she'll always be

Put them all together, they spell "Mother"

A word which means the World to Me.

All these beautiful sentiments - should they be strictly confined to one Sunday of the year? Life as we know is so uncertain, so fragile and may be we would be filled with a sense of regret if we could not express our love and Gratitude to our beloved mothers, if we have to stand beside the cask and watch in silence, when she lies in the stillness of Death.

***

Reflections on Mother

When your Mother has grown old, and you too have grown old,

When what seemed easy and effortless, now becomes burdensome,

When her dear eyes do not look to the future

When her legs cannot carry her any more

Then give your arm for support, and accompany her with Joy and Gladness

And if she asks questions - Answer them

And if she asks again, answer her, not stormily but with gentleness of speech

The hour will come that painful and bitter hour

As you accompany her on her Final Journey

When she will ask No more!