Mother

It is Mothering Sunday tomorrow, and as we give thanks for our mothers during the service tomorrow, maybe now might be good to reflect on all those people who have supported you and cared for you over the years, whether it was your natural mother or not. You see, all mothers are people (with all the complications and variety that may bring) who may or may not have been able to fully engage in the process of mother-ing us for whatever reason.

And mothering might be something that others have done for us too. Perhaps now might be a good time to call some of them to mind and to pray for them out of gratitude for what they have done for us.

I can remember one time when I was young and adventurous (I know, it seems hard to imagine now!) hitch-hiking alone in Western France during a thunderstorm and I was feeling vulnerable and cold and wet when a no-nonsense French woman picked me up, took me to her house, gave me soup to drink and dried the clothes from my rucksack (which was also soaked through) so I could get changed and then took me to a railway station so I could sit in the dry and wait out the storm. She hasn't made as much of an impact on my life as my own mother, but in her small but kind way she gave me the love and care that I needed at that time. I hadn't thought about her since then until just now. And so now I can pray for her and ask God to bless her.

Happy birthday

So, for those (I'm sure very few) of you who spend your time thinking about something other than me and what I am up to, I feel duty bound to let you know that today is my birthday. And according to 'Deep Thought', the computer in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy I am now of the correct age to know the answer to life, the universe and everything.
So today is my birthday and traditionally we like to put ourselves at the centre of things-well, I do at least, but I knew things would be muted as I had a few diary commitments that I really wanted to keep. I had squeezed in the opportunity to book in a cheeky lunch out with loved ones so all was well.
Until eldest son went straight back to bed first thing with flu-like symptoms. Not a disaster-he's big enough and educated enough to be able to make a Pot-Noodle if he wakes up hungry.
And then the phone rings from school regarding youngest. We'd sent her in even though she felt rough as she seemed to be on the mend and the fresh air and routine should do her good. She has a sore throat and a headache, they tell me. What should they do? Not knowing whether she had taken anything before school I did what any parent in my position would have done-I considered telling them that she'd be fine and they should send her back to the class-room. But I paused before I spoke and, wondering whether she might be feeling as rough as her brother looked, I offered to go and get her, ticking off in my mind the things that I would have to miss as a result. First and foremost was, of course, my planned restaurant experience, with other meetings and events lurking somewhere in the background.
So, tied to home I have managed to get on with all sorts of work-related things that I had been avoiding, have had lunch brought to me by aforementioned loved ones, and all in all had a lovely day. Which surprised me. But it has been all the more lovely because I wasn't the centre and yet have still known that I am loved and needed.
There is something very profound about being affirmed by others, about being thanked or about being told that we are needed, about being special in some way. It gives us a strong sense of wellbeing, of purpose. And yet so many of us spend much, if not all, of our lives living without apparent purpose. Many people never get thanked, or get given gifts, or are told that they are loved or valued. This present generation of school-leavers faces an increasingly unpredictable job market. Where will they find the answer to what they are here for, for what their purpose is?
I believe that we are made in the image of a loving God and are adopted as children into his family and our purpose is summed up in what Jesus called the greatest commandment: we are to love God and we are to love our neighbour.
Our primary purpose is to worship God, closely followed by serving others. If we can start with these then we will receive all the affirmation that we need. And every day can be like it is our birthday.