WE are at that time of year when mothers become our main priority. It is Mother’s Day, and some of us who can afford it will be going all out to get mother that special gift, which would be either a purchased item or doing all her chores for her that day, while she lounges around taking things easy.
The essence of the day has been eroded to the point that Mother’s Day is now one big commercialized recognition worldwide, much to the chagrin of the founders of the day. (See our special Mother’s Day Supplement located elsewhere in this issue of the newspaper).
However, even in the midst of the whole commercialization of the day, we are thankful that there are children who show their mothers the honour and affection that are due to them.
So too, there are children who manifest little love to their mothers, who have failed to honour their mothers by continually dismissing their mothers counsel, thereby increasing their mothers’ anxieties.
The biblical gem “Honour thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee” seems to have been forgotten by too many people right here in Saint Lucia. Too many of us simply do not know what it means to “honour thy father and mother.”
There is a blessing in honouring our mothers (parents), one that is not gained through this one time display of gifts showered on them every Mother’s Day.
The negative attitude some of us display to our mothers on a regular basis is certainly not in keeping with the show of ‘love’ we now want to bestow on them simply because it is Mother’s Day. Too many mothers are suffering today, hearts broken as a result of the cold ingratitude shown by their children to them. Perhaps the best gift a mother could get at this time would be a vow that her disobedient child/children would reform their attitude to her as from today, making her special each day of their lives.
We take this opportunity to wish all our Saint Lucian mothers a wonderful and rewarding Happy Mother’s Day. We beseech you to continue inculcating in your child/children the values of love, obedience, honour and respect so that as your child/children grow older, these intrinsic values will serve as their foundation in their adult life. A foundation which will help them to become pillars in the society.
We recognize that Mother’s Day is also about the influence of mothers in society. The question: How influential are mothers in the society is one we will leave for the more qualified amongst us to answer. However, we are aware that when mothers are strong their children invariably tend to be strong and if the mothers are resilient and filled with faith, then so too will be their children.
Let’s not forget that the destiny of mankind is in the hands of mothers. One writer noted that this is not hyperbole and underscored this point by referring to Proverbs 22:6 that says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it”.
We concur with the writer who said that the text is more than a formula; it is reality. Mothers not only perpetuate the human race, they raise up the next human race and have influence over whether the sons or daughters they are raising can be good or bad persons in society.
The wellbeing of the society is in the hands of mothers. So, on this Mother’s Day we call on mothers to understand that they can do more than any other to cure the problems that exist in the Saint Lucian society. Law enforcement agencies may have failed society but so too have our homes because too many mothers have abdicated responsibility for teaching their children what is right.
In the words of Jehan Sadat, wife of deceased Egyptian president Anwar Sadat: “What happens in society all begins with mothers.” Therefore to all our mothers, remember, you are more than just a mother, you are a society-shaping leader.
Once again, Happy Mother’s Day!