“A mother can take the place of all others
but whose place no one else can take." ~ Cardinal Mermillod
My mother was a “Working Mom.” But
her work never resulted in a paycheck or any extra income. Her payment came in the form of tantrums, runny
noses, occasional hugs, errands to run, meals to prepare, and activities to
plan. Her “bonus” was a few moments of
privacy in the bathroom.
Mom was a skilled arbiter,
driver, nurse, seamstress, tutor and so much more. She had an amazing ability to erase bad
dream, find lost items, and clean up stuff that "nobody else saw" (like
boogers on walls, skid-marked undies, or unflushed toilets).
My parents were watching TV one night when Mom said,
"It's getting late. I think I'll go
to bed." I listened in awe as Mom
took a long detour.
After straightening the
magazines on the coffee table, she went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for tomorrow’s
lunches.
She rinsed out the ice cream bowls, took meat out of the
freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, prepared
the coffee pot for brewing and set the table for breakfast the next morning.
Then Mom put some wet clothes in the dryer, a load of dirty clothes into the washer, ironed a shirt and fastened a loose button. She picked up the game-pieces left on the
table, watered the plants, and emptied a waste basket.
Yawning, she stretched before stopping by the desk and wrote
a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the field trip, and located an
overdue library book.
Dad called out, "I thought you were going to bed."
Mom replied "I’m on my way." She filled the dog’s water dish and made sure
the doors were locked. Then she had a
brief chat with my brother who was still doing homework.
In her own room, she set the alarm and laid out clothing for
the next day. Mom then said her prayers
and replayed the day’s accomplishments.
Only then did she crawl into bed noting that Dad was already
sleeping like a log. Somewhere in the
early hours her thoughts became disorganized enough to release her mind into
sleep.
Before long, her alarm would sound and for a few glorious
minutes, she enjoyed a respite of time before her family burst to the forefront
of her mind.
Whether your office is in a professional building or in the
comfort of your own home, I've been thinking about you. Whether you're a married mom or a single mom,
whether you dress up in a suit to go into the city or slide on your yoga pants
in the morning to take care of your kids for the day, you’re all working moms. That’s just one of
the things that make you special.
Thank God for all working Moms – those whose
office is outside or in the comfort of their own homes. Whether you're a married mom or a single mom, God
bless you for all you do, especially that which goes unnoticed and
underappreciated. Amen
