A reflection on Mother’s Day

Posted in Family

Rev Tony Nancarrow, chaplain of the Uniting Church SA Synod, shared this reflection at the Synod staff chapel service on Tuesday 3 May, 2016.

We are all indebted to our mothers. Sadly, it can be easy for mothers to undervalue the significant role they play in the nurture and care of their children and the family unit.

Some of you may remember Tony Campolo. He was a keynote international speaker at NCYC (the National Christian Youth Convention) some years ago. Retired now, he spent much of his time travelling internationally and speaking at key note events.

Meanwhile, his wife, Peggy, chose to stay home and give herself and all that she had to the “bringing up” of their two children, Bart and Lisa.

On those rare occasions when Peggy did travel with Tony, she would find herself engaged in conversations with some of the most accomplished, impressive, influential, sophisticated people in the world. 

After one such trip, Peggy told Tony that as she visited with these powerful people she would often find herself feeling intimidated, sometimes even questioning her own self-worth.

Tony said to her: “Well, honey, why don't you come up with something you could say when you meet people that will let them know that you strongly value what you do, and that you feel that it is urgent, crucial and important.

Not long after that, Tony and Peggy Campolo were at a party when a woman said to Peggy, in a rather condescending tone, “Well, my dear, what do you do?”

Tony Campolo heard his wife say: “I am nurturing two Homo Sapiens into the dominant values of the Judaeo-Christian tradition in order that they might become instruments for the transformation of the social order into the kind of eschatological utopia God envisioned from the beginning of time.”

And the other woman said: “Oh my, I'm just a lawyer.”

I like that story because it reminds us that there are a lot of important jobs in the world today but not one of them is more important than the job of being a mother. 

After all, who has a better opportunity to shape and influence and impact young lives than a mother?

Let me share with you something that's been making the rounds recently in anticipation of Mother's Day this Sunday. It's called “Somebody Said” and it has these words:

Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby…

Somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother "normal" is history.

Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct…

Somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.

Somebody said being a mother is boring…

Somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit.

Somebody said you don't need an education to be a mother…

Somebody never helped a fourth grader with her maths.

Somebody said you can't love the fifth child as much as you love the first…

Somebody doesn't have five children.

Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery…

Somebody never watched her “baby” get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten or on a plane headed for university in another state."

Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her…

Somebody isn't a mother.

This coming Sunday, remember your mother. Spend some time reflecting on the impact she has had on your life. And if she is still a part of your life, make sure you tell her you love her – both in word and action.

Editor's note: This article reflects on the importance of mothers in nurturing children. However, we know that not everyone has had positive experiences with their parents and that this can make Mother's Day a difficult time of year. It can also be difficult for those who have lost their mothers or whose mothers are far away. Please feel free to share your own reflections on mothers in the comments section below or by sending an email to Turn on Javascript!


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