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.