This year, I will celebrate my first Mother’s Day as a Mom. As the day approaches, I can’t help but think about how lucky I am. I am healthy, loved, and my every need is provided for. But not all mothers can say the same thing.
There’s the young mom and her small child who sit outside the post office asking for help because they have no place to live. She doesn’t have a car, speaks very little English, and has no idea how she’ll feed her daughter dinner tonight.
The young woman who takes care of her younger siblings. They will celebrate their first Mother’s Day without their mom. She has unexpectedly become the mother in the family, but she really has no idea what she’s doing.
The old woman in Africa who takes care of all of her grand kids because their parents have all died from HIV/AIDS.
The family in Papua New Guinea with a newborn who lost his mother in childbirth because of unsterile conditions.
And then I think about how Jesus would celebrate Mother’s Day. Would he spend it celebrating Mary or would he spend it caring for those mothers or families who find themselves in need? Or maybe he would do both…
This mother’s day, as I eagerly await my first Mother’s Day, I’m looking for ways to do both. How in the world can I celebrate my own mother, celebrate my life as mother, and remember those who aren’t as lucky all at the same time?
I’ve been praying over this for a couple of weeks now. And here’s what I’ve come up with … this Mother’s Day, I’m donating money in honor of the mothers in my life. My mother, mother-in-law, step mother-in-law, grandmother. Instead of giving them a gift and a card, I’m giving life to a woman who desperately needs it.
After just a little bit of research, I discovered World Vision’s Gift Catalog. And a little more digging showed me that with a suggested donation of just $35 I can make a difference in the life of a woman who has been sexually exploited. This is a cause near and dear to my heart.
There’s no more perfect way for me to celebrate Mother’s Day than to give hope to these women who have none. There’s nothing that I want more than to help every girl and woman know just how precious they are.
So, this is how I will celebrate. By giving away on Mother’s Day. And maybe, just maybe, my gift will allow these women to become mothers one day.
How will you celebrate Mother’s Day?
This is beautiful, Crystal. And such a refreshing perspective on mother’s day. I was just dreading mother’s day last night… The Sunday hasn’t been easy for me in about 5 years, after we started trying to have a family. It’s a long story, but here we still are feeling like parents without kids and are highly disappointed in our current adoption circumstances… And I will get up in front of our church and lead worship and wonder if they’re all thinking some version of what I’m thinking: we should’ve been parents by now.
Thanks Mandy. Mother’s Day is tough for so many people … and I think all too often we use it as an excuse to be selfish and overlook the ones that are hurting. While I think it’s important to celebrate our own blessings and take time to spend it with the ones we love, I think it’s equally important to remember people who, like you, find the day to be incredibly painful.
As I hold my little one close, I’ll keep you in my prayers. Prayers for peace. And remember … it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks of you – your most important identity is simple: beloved child of God!