1 word says all: ‘Mother’

“All that I am or hope to be I owe to my angel

mother.”

— Abraham Lincoln

On Mother’s Day, we can all take a moment to reflect on our mother, whether by birth, circumstance or inclination. As poets and presidents, conquerors and explorers have written, nothing compares to a mother’s love.

“The future destiny of the child is always the work of the mother.”

— Napoleon

Motherhood has undergone profound transitions since World War II. But through those transitions, we’ve come to learn that being a great mother doesn’t have to mean the stay-at-home mom, nor does it necessarily mean a “super mom.” A great mom doesn’t dress a certain way, live in a certain sort of neighborhood or drive a particular minivan. She may be a soccer mom, a hockey mom or a ballet mom. Some of the best “moms” have never given birth, but willingly don a nurturer’s mantle to fill that role for a child who needs her love.

Some mothers are waking up this morning to the sounds of bumbling in the kitchen, and will eat overcooked toast with their undercooked eggs and enjoy every minute.

Although we set aside today to remind ourselves and our mothers how special they are, there are everyday reminders that go unnoticed. Yet, there’s something about the bond we have with our mothers that transcends the petty debates and arguments of the day. When facing the business end of a television camera and having nothing else to say, instinct tells us to slap on a silly grin and proclaim, “Hi, mom.”

“God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.”

— Jewish saying

Mothers are as varied as flowers in a garden. While “mother” may be almost synonymous with love, that complex sentiment is an ever-changing gift to her children. Mothers are comforters and enforcers; soft as a well-worn sweater and hard as steel.

“My mother was determined to make us independent. When I was 4 years old, she stopped the car a few miles from our house and made me find my own way home across the fields. I got hopelessly lost.”

— Richard Branson

Mother’s Day only comes along once a year; it’s an inadequate reminder to appreciate moms and all they do. We say thanks to all our Alaska moms. Mothers are the most talented among us, even if often overlooked. They must possess the patience of Job, the peacekeeping ability of a diplomat and are the ultimate multitaskers. Moms are chauffeurs, tutors, counselors, medics, maids, cooks and sounding boards. Mothers can be tough, but fair; firm, yet loving. They have eyes in the backs of their heads; and nobody else has the power to heal simply with a kiss.

“The mother’s heart is the child’s schoolroom.”

— Henry Ward Beecher

In this issue of the Frontiersman, we profile one mother who has been a working mom and a stay-at-home mom. Her five children (including 2-year-old twins) keep her on the run, but she’d never say she’s a super mom. She’d say she has a super family.

We know the Valley is blessed with many moms who are super in their own right. We wish each of them, and their super families, a wonderful Mother’s Day.