On My Plate

There was a plate that became mine after my mother died. It was given to her by one of her children, as an acknowledgment of her wonderful attributes. It may have even been passed down to her from a previous generation. It’s not really a practical plate, with a decorative gold edge and a verse painted on the base. It would chip easily, get scratched and become unreadable quickly, so it hangs on my wall as a tribute to my mother.

The verse is titled Mother and says:

God made many lovely things

Sunsets and flowers and trees

Birds and starlight and loyal friends

And after He made all these

He gave another gift more rare

More loving and more true

A wonderful person most fair

A Mother dear as you.

I am sure all mothers try to aspire to this but for many of us, tiredness, busyness, our own expectations and those of other peoples will often make us feel like we are never ever going to make the grade.

There have been many days when if I was to mark my performance as a mother out of ten I would give myself a “two” or less. The best advice my mother ever gave me and I must admit that I still have trouble taking it was: “Don’t listen to the voices around you”. There are many people who will tell me what I should do to be the perfect mother but guess what – they are not living with; the people in my life, my circumstances, my health issues or my personality. I am doing the best I can with what I have to work with and I am sure that you are too. God made you and if you keep looking at Him, He will get you through.