“Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.” (Prov. 31:31)

During my growing up years, my parents were very hands on. My mom baked and decorated my birthday cakes for many years. Four in particular stand out after all this time—Strawberry Shortcake, a Care Bear, a Cabbage Patch Kid, and Barbie. I remember how she worked for hours to get the icing just right. It looked perfect, and it tasted divine.

I loved watching my mom cook. She made almost everything from scratch. In fact, I didn’t know brownies or casseroles came from a box until I was an adult. Except for Jiffy brownies, which I thought were an exception made just for kids like me whose grandmas kept boxes on hand for them to stir together.

My mom also made my clothes, often from patterns she created herself. At school, I showed off the outfits she made. I had stylish clothes at a fraction of the store-bought cost. My friends made a game of guessing which clothes my mom had made and which she had bought whenever I wore something new to school.

My mom wouldn’t call herself creative. She’s too practical for that. The things she made—and still makes today—are all useful. But she is creative, as is my dad, and they passed the love of creating to me.

This Mother’s Day, over a year after the COVID-19 pandemic began, I’m reminded of how grateful I am to have my mom with me still. And I’m grateful to call her my friend. Not everyone has such a good relationship with their mom. She’s my sounding board. She knows when to offer advice and when to simply listen. She doesn’t worry the way I do, so she’s able to calm my fears and remind me to pray and wait for God to respond.

Today, I want to take a moment to express how thankful I am that God gave me the family he did. My mom was raised by a godly woman who also greatly influenced my life, and both of them pointed me to Jesus. My mom’s love and Christian example have been one of the greatest blessings of my life.

Dear Jesus, thank you for my mom, who has always been such a positive influence in my life. I pray you will bless her. I also pray for those who are estranged from their mom or grieving the loss of their mom. Please comfort them. Amen.