Mother's Day

This is an early picture from our family photos. This one is Merrie & Dana at maybe six and one year old. Marsha was such a proud mom. She loved her children but she loved being a mom too. It was her nature to take care of people and having children just put her in her natural element. Early in our marriage I made the mistake of missing how important being a mom was to Marsha. I didn't take Mother's Day very seriously, and for someone who defined themselves as mother that did not show any understanding of who Marsha was. She was so good at so many things that being mom seemed to me to be down on the list of accomplishments, but not to her. I wish I had caught on sooner because Mother's day was one of the things in life that show just how much I can be a slow learner. I think it is not just me that underplays the importance given to being mothers. As a priest I met quite a few women who struggled with not getting pregnant, or repeatedly losing babies before birth. Often it didn't seem to matter how good their education or job or marriage was if they lacked the element of motherhood. I came to appreciate how much this is engrained in most women. I don't think my children ever really understood how much being a mother meant to Marsha either, or specifically how important Mother's Day was. She was a great wife and a great mom. Happy Mother's Day my love, you were the best.