I reckon my mother had a fairly easy time of it. Because I was neatly delivered into this world inside an egg. She then had to sit on me for 28 days before I eventually hatched out. After two and a half weeks, my eyes opened. I fledged at nine weeks and became totally independent after 12 weeks. So the whole process of bringing me into the world and looking after me only lasted for about four months.
It’s a rather different story for human mothers. Just imagine having a baby inside you for nine long months! The inconvenience of it all! No glasses of gin or wine for all that time! And then the babies rarely come out as easily as an egg. But that’s just the start of it.
Human mothers then spend the next two years teaching their children to stand up, walk and to talk, followed by another sixteen years of telling them to sit down and be quiet! And all this time, these human mothers are quietly having to evolve. Multi-tasking means that they suddenly have to sprout four sets of arms and hands. And not only that. A load of extra eyes appear on the back of their heads as they try to maintain some semblance of peace, law and order. (Oh dear! Four sets of arms and eyes all ‘round. Am I writing a piece about human mothers or tarantula spiders?)
Anyway, on top of all this, mums have to develop sixth and seventh senses to know what’s going on. They have to learn to be peacemakers, comforters, first-aiders, dinner ladies, taxi drivers, counsellors, encouragers, helpers and confidants. And the very best mothers achieve all of this on a foundation of unconditional love….
This world is full of all sorts of wonderful humans that step into the role of being mothers. Apart from biological mums, there are grannies, older sisters, foster parents, teachers, support workers, nurses and so many others. And the one thing that binds them all together is this extraordinary virtue called “love.” And so often it’s an unconditional love that’s beyond the physical, because this type of love is something spiritual. A love that perseveres and keeps going through thick and thin; through the good times and the difficult ones. A selfless love that continues to shine out of tiredness, exhaustion, fatigue and even despair. What kind of love is this? And who does it remind you of?
A mother’s pure love is probably the nearest thing we will ever experience here on Earth to the love of Jesus, the love of God and the love of the Holy Spirit. Because true love comes from all three. And that’s what makes so many human mothers so very, very special, and why they must never be taken for granted….
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians: 13:4-7).
So here’s to human mothers and my own feathery one. Happy Mothers’ Day to you all! Happy Mothers’ Day!
