In honor of Mother’s Day
“I need someone to gather a busy family around the dinner table for chicken soup, cornbread, and sharing life together… And so, God made a mother.”
Excerpt taken from So God Made a Mother: For Mother's Day - May Patterson
One of the foundational things a mom can do for her family is to cook for them. Our love is poured out through the food we set on the table. You don’t have to be a gourmet chef to love your family through food, just putting good, nourishing meals on the table creates a gathering place where everyone can come to share life and love.
We have both been blessed with mother’s who loved us through food. Countless breakfasts, lunches, suppers and snacks were made on our behalf! Many of our growing up memories are tied to the meals (both humble and magnificent) we shared together around the family table. Even now, when I go home for a visit, I always have a list of favorite foods to be enjoyed that are my mom’s specialties.
And now Jenna and I have the God-given opportunity to love our families in this same way. Let’s be honest, it’s not all gorgeous sunsets and sweet-smelling roses. There are flops (why didn’t this turn out?!?), a lot of noise and spilled milk. Oh, the vast quantity of milk that has been wasted on our floor, and table, and chairs, and walls and every other surface within 10 feet of the spill. I used to think that whoever coined the phrase, “Don’t cry over spilled milk” had never had children. But my husband gently suggested that likely they did, and they had the wisdom to realize that in this endeavor of raising children for Christ, spilled milk is among the least of worries…
Once a year we are reminded, with the celebration of Mother’s Day, to specifically and intentionally thank our mothers for all they have done for us. While year-round appreciation is encouraged, Mother’s Day is a special time of remembrance and thankfulness to God for his gift of mothers (and motherhood!). To all moms: take courage in the battle of “training up a child in the way he should go” in the 21st century. To all moms: thank you for what you have done and continually do.
Moms typically don’t need much. Toddlers’ treasures generously gifted warm our hearts. Hastily scribbled letters of adoration from young children make us smile. A sincere “Thanks for all you do” works wonders for our spirits. But if you’re looking for something simple to show mom you appreciate her, we have some great “mom gear” on sale! ;) Not to mention feminine tea towels and, of course, our gather cookbook.
Happy Mother’s Day!
An ode to my mother
Here is a bit of my own poetry from elementary school ;). My mom is much older than 42 now, but I still stand behind these words I wrote about her long ago (and hopefully I’m much less of a pest)!