The Influence of Our Moms

 Last year at this time, life was not fun for my mother or my sister and I. We are grateful that today my mother is healthy and alive. This year my mom is able to eat anything and is stronger and getting healthier. It reminds me that we have to be grateful for what we have in the present. 

Mothers do not always get the accolades that they deserve. My mom became a single mother when I was nine years old. She had to go back to work. She moved my sister and me to Florida, while my adult brother stayed in Michigan. She discovered credit cards. Thanks to her discovery, we were able to afford the many items in life that everyone else had. From her struggles there are some valuable lessons I have learned. 

First, my mom relied on God during the good times and the bad. Since she was strong in her faith in the good years, she was able to be strong when disaster struck. She not only brought us to church, but she lived her faith everyday so that we had an example to follow. It has made me realize that as a leader to young people, I had to live my life with a genuine faith. Young people can see our fake faith and our genuine faith. No one is perfect. No one has all the answers or the same ideals as others, but all of us can be genuine with our faith in God. Genuine faith is what will influence people to follow Jesus. 

Next, my mom had to be creative with resources. She discovered credit cards and loans. Although I do not recommend anyone going into debt, I realized that she had to be creative to have her car repaired, the plumbing fixed, or have small items that we used every day. My mom realized that life had to have fun mixed in with the serious tasks. She also realized that time was precious, so family dinners may have been in a restaurant and car rides home from band practice were for discussions of our lives. 

Finally, I learned that I had to use the resources that were available to me in order to provide for my future. It was through my mom’s struggles that I knew I had to go to college in order to have a career that would provide for my future. Even though I chose professions that are not as strong financially, I have been able to provide and go beyond with finances and with many other areas in my life. 

We all influence those that we are around all the time. Those who are mothers are able to influence people every single day. Not every day will be perfect, but your children are learning from your imperfections. We learn not just from perfect people, but how people reclaim their lives when they fall. Besides, most of us have caused our mothers imperfections. Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms!