"Mama, you're beautiful!"

There's something I thought I'd share with you this week as we approach Mother's Day. I know this season can be hard, very hard for some of you. It's always a little bittersweet for me too. Many of us have seen our mothers graduate to heaven. Some women struggle with grief over the loss of a child or over the inability to become pregnant. For those beautiful ladies, Mother's Day can feel anything but celebratory. My mother's heart grieves for you, with you, in your distress. Nonetheless, as this Sunday approaches, perhaps you will find some joy, like me, in remembering the love of the special woman or women who gave freely of themselves to nurture you, guide you, support and encourage you as you grew. Here's to remembering them... the beautiful ones.

A few weeks ago I began noticing little holes in the backyard, especially around my flower bed, where something had been digging feverishly on the hunt for who-knows-what! We have squirrels, LOTS of them, so I figured it was them either burying or retrieving pecans. We also have quite a lot of other critters hanging around, living as close as we do to the nature trails. I just hoped it wasn't a skunk!

One morning, early, I headed off the deck to find an opossum crawling out from underneath my shed. I watched it for a minute. It didn't see me, but stopped dead in its tracks when I said, "So YOU'RE the one making such a mess of my yard." The little guy froze for a couple seconds, then turned on a dime and headed straight back where he came from.

A couple weeks passed without a spotting, so I figured he'd got the message and relocated to a friendlier neighborhood. Lo and behold... as I was finishing my morning walk, heading up the driveway with the trash can, there he was! "Oh, no you don't," I fussed. He turned sideways and I saw something odd. "What IS that on your back?" I looked more closely to find babies! Six of them, clinging with all their tiny might to the mama's back!! "You're a mama," I exclaimed... and I instantly regretted the scolding I'd given. All my chatter made this girl verrry nervous. She was looking for a way out, and obviously felt cornered between me, the fence, and the garage. What happened next made me marvel... yes, marvel, at this little mother and the instinct God had given her.

Opossums don't see well. I don't know how blind they are, but their sense of smell and hearing is much more important to them than sight. Anyway, as I was saying, this creature was in desperate straits to get as far away from me as she could... and fast! I slowly backed away to give her space. I watched as she nosed her way into the fence a few times before finally managing to locate a small opening under the gate to the backyard. She started carefully crawling under the wee crevice, babies being scraped off one by one as she went. She was now on one side of the fence and her babies on the other. Then came the fascinating part. Though she obviously sensed danger near at hand, she waited patiently for each of her babies to make their way under the gate, scramble up her leg, and clutch onto her back.

The whole scene fascinated me. I couldn't take my eyes off her. She stood there, nuzzling each of these tiny things as they came through and climbed aboard. Was she counting? How did she know she had them all? Could she tell by the weight on her back that they had all made it safe and sound? I was amazed at her stoic bravery not to simply fend for herself and head for the hills.

It was a picture of motherhood, a picture of selflessness, and it brings me back to my thoughts for this week.

If you have grown to adulthood, you have probably had a woman like that in your life... selfless, nurturing. For many of us it was our own mothers. For others it may have been a favorite aunt, or a stepmother, a godmother, or just someone who took a special interest in you. Mothers, and all those who serve in that capacity, are beautiful women. Oh, yes, they come in all shapes and sizes, and most of them will never grace the pages of a glamour magazine, but beautiful they are, indeed, for beauty is as beauty does.

My opinion of that ugly, little opossum changed instantly when I saw her in action. The way she cared for and protected her babies made her... well, beautiful to me.

I remember a time, years ago, when I was going through some old photo albums with my mom. Gosh, how we loved to do that! As wonderful as it was looking at all the old pictures, it was the stories she told along with them that was the real treat. I turned one of the pages and out fell an old drawing I had made for my mom one Mother's Day. It was done on the kind of paper she had at her work, and it was my childish attempt at a portrait of her. Underneath was this caption: To the most beautiful mother in the world."

To me, she was.

I was surprised she had kept it all those years. At least, I was surprised at the time. Now that I'm a mother myself, I totally get it. As a mom, you ARE the most beautiful person in the world to your kids. From infancy, babies study their mothers' faces at close range as they nurse or take a bottle. They memorize every tiny line, every curve. Yours is the face they search for amid the crowd during their elementary school programs in the auditorium, and they beam with pride when they've found you. Yours is the face they want to see when they're sick, or scared, or homesick. Your face is beautiful to them because beauty is as beauty does, and when you love your kids to the fullest, to the absolute brim of the best of your God-given ability, your beauty shines.

So, to all the women who have loved, and nurtured, and consoled, and sacrificed. To all the women who have encouraged, and rocked, and supported, and prayed. To all the women who have given, and listened, and guided, and played...

We salute you. We honor you. Most importantly, we thank you.

"Mama, you're beautiful," and you don't need a mirror to tell you that!