Mother

"Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children" - William Makepeace Thackeray

Made famous more from its appearance in the theatrical release of The Crow than from its original author, it conveys a truth that should be self-evident.

As I have grown older I have come to recognize that there are few guarantees in life. Input does not always equal output and outcomes are not always predictable. We sometimes pretend that raising children in a particular way means that we should get a certain result or that only the way children were raised in a certain time was correct. A historical review will show that it is nonsense to believe that humanity was only successful when the family was structured as shown on the 1950's television shows. Many societies have flourished under different approaches and in particular with different roles for mothers and fathers.

Raising a child is a very personal thing... and on what can you judge its success? If you seek to judge the success by the performance of the child then that can paint a very unfair picture. A parent is no more responsible for all their child's failures than they can be for all their child's successes. The same effort given to each child will have wildly different results. But effort is what I would choose to make my judgement on. For if God is love and that is shown through His efforts for mankind than how can the 'god in the lips of children' be expressed any more purely than through the effort shown to her offspring. I believe that all to often children are just another commodity in the life of their parents. They represent the check marked item on a sheet that included marriage, car, big house and a high definition tv. That love of a child expressed in the effort of engagement and purpose of will is something I have rarely witnessed in my life.

I was fortunate... my formative years were guided by a mother whose love felt so complete that I tarried long from a life of worry or doubts of my worth. In all aspects she prepared me to someday have a wellspring of decency and honor and love that would exceed even a life bent by cynicism and disappointment.

I could never have wished for more in a mother... nor could I ever hope to match her as I raise my own child.

For this day... and all others... for always... my love and respect.