Mothers are the Glue to Holding Life Together

No matter what happens in life, you must always go back to the beginning of your life. Everyone’s beginning started with a mother and a father. And even if fathers helped to create you, many of you grew up without your father in your life. However, most mothers stayed the course.

Mothers experience what is sometimes considered the pleasure or the pain of carrying their children for nine months or less. And then they bear the pains of labor. Many mothers experience the carrying, the labor, and the birth of their children alone. But no matter the situation, no matter the circumstances, and no matter the struggles, these bold and beautiful women hold their families together, and they do their best to bond with their children, even alone. They do their level best to try to hold their families together and keep their children. They are usually the glue that holds the family together, as well as the glue to mend and hold the lives of their children and others together.

Were they all successful in holding their families together? No, they weren’t. But when you tally up the numbers, the successes outweigh the losses. If it weren’t for mothers, where would many of you be? Through your tears and laughter, your happiness and sadness, your failures and successes, your darkness and your sunlight, your losses and your gains, your let downs and your pickups, when you take a realistic look at the outcomes, your mother or the woman designated to serve in her role was and probably still is there for you. And through it all, no matter what you have done; through all of your faults and failures, she has never left you. Unlike Humpty Dumpty, your mother always found the strength and the glue to help piece your life back together again!  

Along with holding the family and various lives together in the midst of pain and struggles, mothers and grandmothers who were responsible for the rearing of their grandchildren seem to always have the right words to say and the answers to all of your questions. They seem to have un-measurable strength for which they are many times not recognized or respected.  

“Mothers and grandmothers have always had a way of saying some of the most unbelievable and outrageous things!You’ve probably sometimes wondered, “what does that mean?” or “who is she talking about?”* 

“Whatever your background or geographic location, your Mama, Grandma, or Big Mama have always had a message in whatever they said, no matter how far-fetched their sayings may have seemed. But there was a method to their madness. Their messagesevolved, helping you to move forward in your life,embracing the future. And if themessage was not as clear at the time, clarity inevitablyevolvedover time, molding you into the man or woman you are today.”*

“If your Mama was anything like mine, she sometimes spoke in riddles and parables, forcing us to listen and think. In actuality, through our exposure to the many things our mothers said, we were afforded some of the best teachers in life and for life. These teachers were our mothers. Much of what they had to say was based on their efforts to provide love, guidance, and direction. These sayings were given to us with the belief that we would one day gain awareness, insight, understanding, and positive life lessons.”*

Mother’s Day is right around the corner. However, it will be a Mother’s Day like no other. Many of you will not be able to celebrate your mother in person, in an effort to ensure that she continues to live. And others of you, as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus or other situations, have lost your mother or the person who took on the role of mother in your life. Yes, it will be a difficult Mother’s Day! However, even if your mother is physically out of reach as a result of the pandemic or she has transitioned from this life, you are still blessed. You still have the love, the memories, the hope and the faith, which you received from your mother. These attributes now serve as the base and the basis for who you are in this space of time, and they are examples of the glue that holds you together in helping you to overcome your current life situations.

Here is your opportunity as Shirley Caesar once sang, to “Remember Mama in a Special Way.” Make a list of ten (10) attributes and 10 things you appreciate about your mother and present them to her on Mother’s Day. And if your mother has transitioned, take your lists and either put them in the Bible for her to see or visit her resting place and orally share the list with her. She will hear you no matter where she is. Remember, “Mothers are the Glue to Holding Life Together.” She has helped and continues to help you to hold your life together, no matter her location!

Happy Mother’s Day!

To Mama**

Who works her fingers to the bone;

Often struggling through life alone.

Her late night tears and late night touch

Have healed and helped us, oh so much!

There is none to compare

To this gift from God, so great, so fair;

The love and understanding from my dear mother.

I roamed the earth both near and far;

And I’ve never been able to find another.

Mama I love you wherever you are;

In my eyes, you’re always a star.

Although for some time now we’ve been apart,

I cherish your memory deep in my heart.

It wasn’t by chance that our paths merged as one;

Our time together was essential to God’s will being done.

A tie which bound us together through thick and thin,

Has transcended through time from beginning to end.

*©2016; Dr. Joyce Morley; “Mama Said…Hilarious, Outrageous, and Eye-Opening Statements, Mama, Grandma, and Big Mama Said that You Can Now Laugh About: Mama Really Did Have the Answers After All”

**©1999; Joyce Morley, Ed.D., “Weary But Not Worn: A Spiritual Reawakening” 

©2020; J. Morley Productions, Inc.; P.O. Box 1745; Decatur, GA 30031; (770) 808-6570; www.doctorjoyce.com