Mothers

I woke up this morning with mothers on my mind -- not just my own but mothers in general. How interesting, I thought, that we have an image of God as father, but what could be more godly than mothers?

With my daughter expecting our first grandchild, the miracle of birth is not far from my mind these days. How God-like for women to bear the overwhelming responsibility of conceiving a child and nurturing a baby in the womb for nine months -- and to do it joyfully! And we're not even talking yet about the labor and delivery.

At the other end of life, there are mothers like mine who continue to nurture and love and teach their children for decades upon decades. The unconditional love that our Christian values ascribe to God the Father most of us learn first from our mothers. If we're lucky, we see it in their eyes and hear it in their voice from the first moment that they hold us to their breast.

And then there are those women, like my middle sister and sister-in-law, who have not given birth but still love with a mother's heart.

Today I am thankful for the many blessings of being a mother, for having a wonderful mother, and for knowing so many women who show us every day the beauty and wonder of a mother's love.