As the mother of three adult children and the grandmother of three adult children, you wouldn’t think I’d be thinking about forgotten lunches and lost socks. The truth is, these things have haunted me for most of my existence. Now there are only two of us living under the same roof. I don’t have to pack lunches, but I still have nightmares about forgetting to do so and being laden with guilt because of it. Apparently guilt is something we have difficulty overcoming as adults. What could we have done better? Did I give good advice or lead them down another rabbt hole. Did I instill a strong work ethic or did I take it too far? Did I sacrifice, give in to keep the peace, or did I just give up at times? A mother’s mind takes you down those roads quite often.

Socks don’t seem to get separated as often as they did when all those additional feet were being clad, but that’s been taken care of with the innovative thinking of young people who now wear one of each. Why didn’t I think of that? A whole new fashion statement was born out of lost socks.

Being a mother is so much more than worrying abut these petty things, but I bring them up to illustrate that once you become a mother, you never, ever stop being one. I still wake up in the middle of the night worrying about each one of them. When I don’t hear from them in a while, I wonder if they’re sick or going through some difficult times. I’m not the kind of mom who needs to be involved in her childen’s lives, but they are still a physical part of your being until you no longer inhabit this earth. I wonder if that issue ever goes away. Will I still be concerned about them in heaven, or will I finally have learned to cast my cares on the Lord in all things? Guess I’ll have to wait to find the answer to that and all of the questions I had while living.

The role of the mother has changed within my lifetime. I was born in a time when women had very few options in life. She could get married, have children, maybe get a job when they left the nest, but usually they consisted of secretarial work, teaching or becoming a nurse. Today the sky is the limit for women. Many are the bread winners of the family. Most are extremely overworked and under appreciated. As for me, I think one of my greatest accomplishments has been to be a mother. On the flip side, you never stop being one. It is one of the greatest gifts God has given to women.

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day. It’s also Lost Sock Memorial Day. Both of these days are reminders for me of what life was as a mom and how important the little things were and continue to be. So Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there. Think of what you have to look forward to when your mothering days are done. Ah, but they never are done.