“I have heard it said that having a child is like having your heart walk around outside of your body. How a mother aches to protect her child. And yet all the while, from infancy to adulthood, a good mother is training her child to move ever more away from her, to need her less and less. Mothers love and long for their children. Their hearts ache for them, over them.”
–Captivating, John and Stasi Eldredge
My mother gave birth to me at the age of 27, but still felt too young to be having a child and become “mom.” As a child, I loved my mom, but preferred my dad (he was, after all, the one who bought the things I wanted when mom said “no.”). As a teenager I needed space, my mom gave it, but was also there for me when I needed her. She forgave the poor choices I made and stood beside me. Moving away to college and then to New York, our mother-daughter relationship blossomed into a friendship. My mom became one of the first people I called when I needed advice, and was always willing just to listen or provide whatever assistance was needed.
During the months leading up to leaving for the World Race, I lived with my mom again, for the first time since high school. Sharing a car is not an easy thing, especially for two control freaks, but my mom adjusted her driving needs and the rest of her life to give me a place to live, a place to keep my things, and a place of rest. Now that I am even further away, across several oceans, my mom continues to support me. She asks everyone she knows to send me money so that I have enough support to continue on the race; she sends me packages of the random things I miss or can’t find overseas; she listens to my ramblings over Skype at 5AM about where I am and what my team and I have been eating lately or what “exciting” thing we saw.
My mom is honest with me, one of the things I have valued the most about her. She is not afraid to tell me the truth, even when it is risky. She is real about her fears, her hopes, and her journey. She wants more for her children, the best, and will do whatever she can to provide that for my sister and I. I am continually amazed at her patience and her understanding. And she gives the best hugs.
I love you, Mary Cary. Happy Mothers’ Day!
(this could be a good day to leave a comment!)
“You are a woman. An image bearer of God. The Crown of Creation. You were chosen before time and space, and you are wholly and dearly loved. You are sought after, pursued, romanced, the passionate desire of your Fiance, Jesus. You are dangerous in beauty and your life-giving power. And you are needed.”
-Captivating
