For Mom on Mother's Day

Honor thy father and thy mother, which is the first commandment with promise. This charge is committed to me as a child of God, that I might wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. Pray and intercede with thanksgivings for all people, that we might lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly, and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

And the truth is God knew what He was doing all along for the sake of His Own glory, in the selection of the father and the mother He would use to bring us into this fallen world and as He also instructs us that if there be any virtue or any praise, we are to think on these things, and thus we are commissioned to honor our Father in heaven as we honor our father and mother on earth. And thus, with those thoughts, the following words came to mind:

Dear mom, you were the one
God chose to bring us into this world
And did your best to shape our minds
For all that would be hurled--

At us in life to test our hearts
To see what would be true.
And now it is our time to show
That we will honor you.

We thank you for the love you've shown
Through all these passing years,
Though there were times that all we gave
Brought nothing more than tears.

We thank you for the times you spoke
The truth when we heard not.
For truth in love will yet prevail
And never be forgot.

And now for one, I hope you know,
I love you more than words,
For actions speak far louder than
The songs of all the birds.

So hold to faith, and hope, and love
And know how much we're blessed
To have you as our mom, for God
Foreknew, what He deemed best!

Michael E. Wood
May 6, 2010

Note: Michael printed the above poem out with a graphic border made from two photographs he had taken earlier in the spring of cardinals in a tree covered with white blossoms. He framed it in a lovely frame and presented to his mother on Mother's Day 2010.