A Mother’s Day Reflection

By Bailey Smith

Bailey and Mom

This is no surprise, but I’ve never been a mother.  Frankly, the thought of being a mother is one that would cause me to wake up sweaty and scared to death in the middle of the night!  However, I do feel like I’m somewhat knowledgeable about mothers.  I’ve been around them and known them since I can remember.  

       The first mother I remember was my own mother.  She’s always been very supportive of me and my siblings, while at the same time she would correct and redirect us as needed.  I’ve always felt secured, even today,  by the fact that she is there to help in any way I might need.  For that I am grateful beyond words.  

Bailey and Missy

      The second mother I’ve observed through the years is my wife.  I’ve had the privilege of watching a mother start her career from day one!!!  I have watched her give and give and give of herself for the sake of her children.  I’ve watched her develop into a strong guidance in their lives.  I watch her have conversations and interactions with our girls that only a mother could have.  She has made me a better father.  I’ve learned to recognize ‘that look’ that tells me the girls have had enough of my lecture, or that I need to stop what I’m doing because I don’t know the full context of the story that led to tears, etc!  My wife knows our girls.  Not just about them, but she KNOWS them.  She can tell me how they will react to things about to happen, she can tell me how they are feeling, without ever conversing with them.  It’s really amazing to me how she knows them!  I feel sure that my daughters will be able to one day say they know what it’s like to have a great mother!  They will be great mothers because of the example my wife has set.  

       Motherhood is  not for wimps.  It’s not even for superheroes…. they don’t have what it takes.  I’ve never seen a picture of Wonder Woman carrying an infant in her arms or in a backpack.  If Wonder Woman ever had a baby, I’d be expecting her to call my wife, or one of the many other great mothers I’ve observed, to ask for advice!  

Thankful for Mothers

       We often automatically see how the qualities and characteristics of our dads teach us  about God, and while I agree, I think that our mothers equally teach us about God.  He loves us beyond comprehension, has gone to great debts to demonstrate that, and no matter what life can throw at us, He is always there.  One of my favorite verses tells us that ‘He who promised is faithful’, and I’ve seen this lived out by my own mother and the mother of my children.  I’m so thankful for the privilege of having these mothers in my life!!

4 Responses

  1. Well, as Bailey’s mom, that is about one of the sweetest things I’ve ever read. He sure knows how to make a mamma proud. I’m so proud of Bailey as a son, as a husband, as a father, and as a brother, and friend of others. God has so used him already in this life and I’m so very proud of him. As mothers, we are so busy when our family is young and we often wonder how our kids are going to turn out….we give them all the tools we can for life, we do our best, pray for the best, and then watch them turn eventually into “real people” and …“productive people” in life. It’s an awesome process to watch and be a part of. I’m so proud, as a mother of all three of our children…they don’t quit when the going gets tough, they just dig their heels in deeper and show what they are made of…and they all know the Lord our God and Savior and have each proved Him Faithful in this journey called LIFE. I do love my kiddos and my grands! I’m happy the Lord blessed us with them….and now they bless me with their actions of love. I’ve often said (…and same goes true for dad’s and husbands)…but “being a wife and mother is one of the hardest jobs we do in life…but oh, SO rewarding”! I have been beyond blessed as both wife and mother!!!