She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. - Proverbs 31:26
We all have an expiry date. When the moment of our demise comes, the angel of death ferries us to our eternal rest. Unfortunately, we do not have the option of delaying our departure.
Of all the people in our life, we probably would prefer delaying the departure or amending the expiry date of our dear mother. None of us want our mother to make that final journey. If we could keep her with us forever, we would.
Mothers are the matriarch of the family. They are the glue that holds the various family members together. No matter how disagreeable family members are to one another, mothers have a way of getting them together and encouraging them to cooperate with one another.
Some of you may remember the movie "Soul Food" which was released in the late 1990s. The movie centered around a mother, the matriarch of her family.
Big Mama, as she was affectionately called, was the glue that held her family together. The young boy, her grandson, who narrated portions of the move, rightly said, "She is the rock of the family." Big Mama loved her family. Because she did, she made every effort to keep the family together.
To ensure the unity of her family, Big Mama prepared a family meal at her home every Sunday. She used that weekly meeting as a clarion call for her family to always be aware of family and the importance of family unity.
However, tragedy struck the family; Big Mama took seriously ill and subsequently died. Unfortunately, because of Big Mama's death, the family lacked a common objective. Consequently, the family began to splinter and fall apart.
But fortunately, before the family disintegrated, a few of Big Mama's children remembered what she tried to teach them during her life. They renewed the Sunday tradition and saved the unity of the family.
Mothers keep us focused on what is important. They teach us about life and how to live and cope in this world of disappointment, degradation, pain, and woe.
I am reminded of my dear mother who passed two years ago. She was our rock.
Many of us live in different places. Therefore, we could not all share in a weekly family meal.
Notwithstanding that, twice during the year, we traveled to the United States, where she lived, to assemble as a family. We gathered in Atlanta during Thanksgiving and in Orlando during the mid-year to vacation together. All her children and most of her grand and great-grandchildren assembled in one place, as a family unit.
Even though my mother is gone to her eternal rest, we still try to hold that tradition together. We do it to keep the unity of the family, which our mother instilled in us. Mother taught us that family is important.
As we celebrate Mother's Day, this coming Sunday, there are many who have also lost their dear mother. Yet, they remember the joy that reigned in the family and in their hearts when she was alive.
To you who still have your mothers, I say, cherish her. She is God's wonderful gift to you. Unfortunately, you cannot change or amend her expiry date. Yet, by making the best of your time with her on this side of the grave, when she is gone, you will miss her; but you will not have any regrets. Never forget to show love and express your appreciation to your mother while she is alive. Happy Mother's Day! Amen.
• Reverend Samuel M. Boodle, pastor at the Lutheran Church of Nassau, 119 John F. Kennedy Dr can be reached at P.O. Box N 4794, Nassau, Bahamas; or telephone 426-9084; website: www.nassaulutheranchurch.org.
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