Lessons From A Mother

The very gifted Emily Dickinson once said, "A mother is one to whom you hurry when you are troubled." For me, this sweet declaration is exceedingly true. Throughout my life, my willing mother has always been there for me. Through good and bad she has always been by my side.

She is strong, diligent, and loving, as every great mother should be.

My mother's amazing strength has always baffled me. When I was a small child, my mother was trapped inside of an abusive relationship. She was tore down, bruised, and broken; and no one extended a helping hand to her. My little eyes witnessed all of the horrifying pain that she went through and every emotional tear that slide down her face. She would scream and cry out to God, and one day I knew He had heard her. My mom became amazingly strong and awesomely brave. She had always defended her helpless children, but then she began defending herself. After much toil, she finally broke away from that dreadful relationship. God has her infinite strength to make it on her own and to endeavor through so many rough times that came her way.

Without a man in the house to provide for my mother and her six children, she was forced to work long, grueling hours. Her exhausted body would stumble into our deteriorating house night after night, only to find that there was more work to be done. There were numerous occasions when my brothers and I would find her quietly crying while she was doing dishes or sweeping the floor. I cannot describe the tremendous sorrow and grief that I felt for her inside my small heart. With six starving tummies to fill, the money that she worked so hard for did not make it very far, and my mother would be on her frail knees again desperatly praying for the Lord to help us. She was internally wired with determination and a fighting will to keep going.

Although my mother possessed a great strength, and the ability to work extremely hard, she had a love that was above and beyond anything I have ever known. Only the tender uncondional love of a mother could have mustered up the strength to work so hard to keep us alive. No matter what life handed to us, she made sure that her children knew that she loved them more than anything in the world. She made the well-being of her children the number one priority in her struggle for life. My mother tried desperatly to protect my bothers and I from the harsh world and all the bad people in it. She was our sheild, and in some cases, our knight in shining armor.

Today, my wonderful mom is blessed for more that she ever dreamed she could be. She has a loving husband who provides for her, a beautiful home that she can call her own, and six precious grandchildren that she adores. Mom taught me that a woman should not accept anything less than respect from a man. She taught me that hard work and consistent determination can get me somewhere in life, even though it is not easy. Above all, I learned that love conquers all, and my mother made it through everything by the grace and mighty power of God.