Mother's Day

My mother is incomparable. Her own day is so full and so overflowing with things and places and people, yet she brought my glasses to me at work this week with coffee. And not just coffee for me, but coffee for a friend, too. She will drop anything for anyone. She encourages me when I am impossible. She loves sharing her joy in watching God work in and through people's lives, and she touches many with her vibrant, out-going personality. I chose to list three literary mothers that I love or that remind me of attributes I love in my own mother, but please know that none of them are at all comparable to her. Not even close.

Molly Weasley, from Harry Potter series. Vivacious, fiercely loving, wildly sweet and fun, Molly is the mother-figure in Harry's life. Multiple times throughout his story he laments how he wished he could call the Weasleys house home. We know Molly as the loud disciplinarian and half a second later smothering her children in kisses, hugs and hand-knit sweaters. She is fun and wild, sweet and sassy, out-going, wise and loving. Molly is the kind of mother whose home and heart is always full, she has a life full of chaos and yet somehow still manages to have order within it. I don't know how she does it, it must only be magic. ;) I've often wondered how my own mum manages to keep order from chaos and I'm convinced she's probably Molly's secret sister.

Marilla Cuthbert from Anne of Green Gables. I love Marilla's no-nonsense approach to life. Reading the book and watching the interaction between Marilla's no-nonsense attitude, and Anne's imaginary, creative view of the world was amusing for me because I felt I could relate to both. And what a clash these two views are! What I loved the most about their relationship, however, was that even though Marilla was a naturally stubborn person and the clear authority-figure, she was not afraid to learn from young Anne and admit when she made mistakes. She even came to Anne and asked for forgiveness, not just for herself, but to mend their relationship. So much of what I've learned from my mother is that women are relational, and mothers build, glue, and maintain relationships. For her part, Anne was also willing to learn from Marilla and forgive her. It was a sweet and funny relationship, filled with honesty and love to last.

Mrs. Frisby from The Rats of NIMH. She is likely one of the bravest literary mothers I knew growing up, even if she's not really human. Mrs. Frisby is afraid of the big world and the farm cat, but she will stop at nothing to care for her sickly son, Timothy. She shows great depth in love. Even though she is without understanding of many things around her, she doesn't let it stop her or hinder her care for her children. She endures. She perseveres. She stands firm. My mother instilled in me a vast appreciation for standing firm in my beliefs, and the understanding that you are often more capable than you know. She is adventurous, and like Mrs. Frisby, willing to try and do new things. (Albiet with seemingly much less fear.) Both my mother and Mrs. Frisby make everything look much easier than I think it is. How do moms do this?

Happy mother's day, mom! You are the cat's meow and I hope you feel loved this Mother's Day!