Mother's Day, Cards and the Civil War

Next weekend is Mother’s Day.  If you have not grabbed a card do so now.  I remember those terrible years in my early 20s when I lived 900 miles from my mom.  I would walk into Walgreens two days before Mother’s Day to find the perfect card and pay eighteen dollars I did not have to express mail it to my mom.  By Friday the good cards have been picked thin- trust me.

The first attempts to establish Mother’s Day in America were by women whose sons had fought in the Civil War.  Some were mothers of both Union and Confederate forces.  Others had lost all of their sons in the Civil War, while others had no confirmation of their death but were yet to return home.  Ann Jarvis launched the movement to create what we now call Mother’s Day as a movement for peace in our country and the reuniting of families. 

There is something stirring in that simple vision: peace and unity.  If we are honest we know that family is not always a place of peace and unity.  Sometimes family is more like the Grizwalds than the Cosbys.  Yet in spite of the inevitable tension of family, Mother’s Day leads us to pause for a peaceful moment and give thanks for our moms.  Even if you fight with your family, still dig up old issues and have unresolved Freudian slips about your mother, make the most of Mother’s Day.  It was launched not to buy cards but to embrace peace and reunite families.    

Forgive me if I am too assertive in my passion for Mother’s Day or too pointed in direction for this festive day.  I am not a festive person by nature nor do I serve on the Party Planning Committee.  But I love my mom and thank God she is still here to celebrate.  Allow me a moment of vulnerability. 

Seven and a half years ago my mom had a massive stroke.  A picture of health with an active lifestyle, my mom was laying in the ER of the local hospital in my hometown.  The first call I got from my dad made it clear she might not make it. 

A stroke that should by all accounts have ended her life left her without movement.  Through good doctors and plenty of prayer, she was able to recover movement on her right side.  By the grace of God she is still here today, making the most of the life.  Each time we talk, no matter what else is spinning around in my world, I find a moment of peace.  I find clarity in the clutter and remember what matters most: relationships with those you love. 

For some Mother’s Day will be a festive day with flowers, cards and candy.  For some it will be the first Mother’s Day since your mom or grandma passed away.  And we cannot forget that for some Mother’s Day is a painful reminder of infertility or miscarriage.  By God’s grace I hope that you will find peace and unity in your heart, your home, your family and our community this Mother’s Day.

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If you are looking to find a place to begin that journey towards peace with God, yourself and others know that you are invited to Big Life Community Church on Mother’s Day, May 13th at 10:45 AM at Oswego East High School.  There will be free flowers for each mother to celebrate all that they do.  Big Life is a new church forming in the Oswego area.  Check us out on the web at biglifecc.org