Dear Friends,
With all the troubles that surround us during these difficult times, one thing stands out like a beacon of joy and beauty, that is the blessing of our mothers.
Of all the gifts that have been given to this world, I can’t think of anything that compares with that of a loving, faithful, patient and ever present mother.
I have always been touched by the way Jesus refers to the idea of motherly love to describe his sadness at what Jerusalem was soon to do to him; Luke 13:34, ‘… How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not.’
Speaking personally, I have never ceased to feel the pain of sorrow whenever I think of how I treated my mother during those terrible years of rebellion in my mid-teens. I learned years later how she would go to sleep every night weeping over what I was doing. Thankfully she forgave me, and the forty years we had afterwards were happy and close.
I suppose the memory of her absolute dedication to us three boys during those hard years when she raised us on her own has made me especially thankful for her as a most loving and caring mother.
My own children, and my stepchildren, were fortunate enough to have had mothers of the same quality. I imagine you have the same feelings toward your mother.
Mother’s Day is a wonderful opportunity for us to show our gratitude and love for all they did or are still doing for us.
Of course, mothers do not ordinarily seek such appreciation, that is why it is all the more important that we show it.
For many, this year might not be as easy to be together as is usually the case, but as I have come to learn lately, there are other ways to make contact.
So, to all you mother’s out there, have a wonderful Mother’s Day and hopefully a break from all those chores that the rest of us might take for granted.
Your friend,
Bruce Ballantine-Jones
Acting Rector