Mother's Day, Fête des Mères

I have been intrigued by her every since I saw her from a distance soon after we arrived here 10 months ago. We have passed her on several trips, but have never taken the time to stop. She is only about 15 minutes outside of Clermont, near the village of Veyre-Monton. So two weeks ago, we decided to go see her up close...the Vierge de Monton. It is the biggest statue of Virgin Mary that I have every seen! I don't know why, but I love it! It is white and sits on top of a hill. She is holding baby Jesus in one hand. I guess I like it number one because it is so big, it cannot be ignored. Secondly, it reminds me of Jesus' humanity and diety in one when I think of her and His conception.

As I prepare to celebrate Mother's Day twice, May 10th in the US and June 7th in France, I think about what kind of mother Mary must have been. The struggles that she went through as she cared for, taught and nurtured her son, the son of God. She must have had wonderful expectations of him, her 1st born. Did she ever think that maybe he would be a great king or a great leader loved by all, instead of him being crucified and mocked? Did she ever think of his future and imagine a wife for him and the grandchildren that they would give her instead of the short 33 years of his earthly life? Or did she always have the insight and wisdom to know that his ultimate sacrifice would be the salvation of the world?

I believe that Mary was a great mother and his biggest cheerleader. She believed in her son and trusted God with her life and his. She was able to let Jesus be the man that God intended him to be, not the son of her dreams. She was not an overbearing presence in the bible, but she certainly was an important part of Jesus' life. As I raise my children to go on to do great things for God, my prayer is that God's will be done in their lives, not my will. I pray that I may be an important part of their lives, their biggest cheerleader and supporter, but never a hinderance to their call by God and the plans that he has for them. Mother's Day is a great time for me to reflect on the importance of my call to care for, love and nurture the children that God has given to me.