“She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.”

My mother has eight children and faced great challenges in raising us, yet we knew we were loved. Our father (and with sadness I must add) was not interested in our day to day needs or happenings, yet we knew we were loved.

We knew were loved by the many ways our mother took care of our daily needs. She would rise very early to begin preparation for the day, making sure that clean clothes were available for school, that the items we needed for making our lunches were in the refrigerator and pantry. And with eight siblings having time in the bathroom was premium, all of this had to be planned out to ensure a less stressful school day morning.

By the time the older siblings reached middle and high school she taught us how to prepare for the younger ones when she had to take on a job in order for us to be able to participate in a few extracurricular activities. I can remember in high school getting dinner started before she arrived home in order to ease her evening a little.

If you can imagine the loads of laundry required to keep a household of 10 dressed there were many a nights when one of the last things mom would do was the ironing. Our home was very small and modest so the ironing board would be set up in the hallway right in front of my bedroom that I shared with my big sister. I would lay in the bed and we would talk while she ironed.

Mom looked well to the ways of her household and did not eat the bread of idleness. This proverb is true of my mother. As my children are now young adults I cherish more and more her impact on my parenting, steeped in love and nurturing, strength and dignity passed on to the third and fourth generation.

In tribute to Mother’s everywhere I leave this reflection:

A Mother’s Dream

A child to raise, protect, provide
The best of her shall not deny
Her strength, her love, her courage be
A mother’s dream secure in me

A house, a home her toil delight
Secure the confidence she cannot hide
Her children sleep and then arise
A mother’s dream no end in sight.