It's that time of year when I get to cook Mother's Day dinner and try out the smoke detector. I can't wait.
I believe it was Eve in the Garden of Eden who first said, "Because I said so, that's why." Ever since, moms have been saying wise and sometimes hilarious things. One mother said, "Be nice to your brother; you may need one of his kidneys someday."
Or consider Brett's mom, who said: "You're not listening. You need to start listening to me. I might say something important one day."
Gail told her mommy, "There's monsters under my bed."
Mommy replied, "No there aren't. The alligators under there ate them all."
My own mom thought that a name-brand vapor rub and a certain brand of orange juice would cure anything. She could be pretty frank at times.
I never wondered if my breath was bad or if I needed deodorant when Mom was near. She spoke the truth, but she was gentle about it. "Have you tried that orange-handled toothbrush?" she might ask. "It really gets into the corners." Or, "There's a sale on deodorant, you know. You should pick some up."
Mom spoke the truth in love. She warned me when a friend was no good or my music was too raunchy. She even taught me where babies come from. Not all parents did in those days. Dad was supposed to, but never seemed to get around to that particular talk. So, I asked a few of my grade-three friends for the answer. One said, "From Jamaica . . . or maybe Walmart."
But Mom never avoided questions or seemed uncomfortable with the answer. When I asked about babies, she spoke of things like eggs and how God shaped me in her tummy and how thankful she was that I came along. She was the most reliable source of information on most subjects.
I asked some friends what they love about their moms.
Alicia says, "Now that Mom's gone I actually miss her calling me at 4:30 in the morning.
Tania says, "I wake early and go over to have Greek coffee with her before going to work. My mom's name is Hope. She taught us to love Jesus."
Esther remembers the night someone stole their car. "Mom got up, dressed in her flannel nightgown, thin long hair flying in the wind, and chased them down."
Nadine was among many who said, "I miss her laugh."
Marjorie writes, "I thank my mom for having the courage to refuse an abortion during her pregnancy. My sister and I came along a few months later."
Carol says, "My mom died three years after ALS knocked on her door. I remember walking through the nursing home softly singing her favorite hymns. She prayed, 'Lord, let me not falter from your path.' God answered. She held her great granddaughter, celebrated her sixtieth wedding anniversary, and participated in a talent show, reciting poetry by Robert Frost when she could barely sit upright. They called to let me know she had passed. My words were, 'Thank God, she's home free.'"
When I was five, I knelt by my styrofoam bed. My mother had told me of the Savior who loved me, about Jesus. And when she suggested that I should trust and follow Him like she had, I had no reason to doubt her for a second.
I asked my daughter what she loves about her mom. She said, "She makes me laugh more than my comedian father. Especially when she doesn't mean to. Yesterday she got mixed up and said, 'See you later crocodile, in awhile alligator.'"
I said, "Rachael, that's nothing. I heard of a mom who went through the drive-though and ordered a pickle with extra cheeseburgers." Happy Mother's Day!
Phil Callaway is the author of Creation's Awesome Critters.
