Mother of the Year Poem

When my husband was in Dental school we were lucky enough to live in a neighborhood with other struggling students who were experiencing the same trials as we were. Dental school was very demanding and the wives and mothers often felt that we were doing most of the parenting alone. As Moms know, the babies don't usually offer a lot of thankful praise to the Mothers who work so hard to care for them. On one particular day one of my friends was having "one of those days" (this phrase stirs up all kinds of different visions in the minds of mothers.) She was feeling overworked and underappreciated. I wanted to do something for her and so after listening, I went home and wrote her a poem and made her a coursage. I guess it helped. She said that she hung the poem in her bathroom.

This year this friend died. She is now able to experience the love that Heaven holds for Mothers firsthand. I would like to share this poem with other mothers in hopes that it will be a comfort or inspiration to someone, somewhere. I am sure that my friend would want her poem to be shared and she is probably part of that applause from Heaven, cheering us on.
Lots of love,

Christy






Mother of the Year

When you’re at the bottom

And your self-esteem is gone

Open up this wrapper

Take this out and pin it on.


Pretend that you’ve been voted

Mother of the Year

And mothers the world over

Are giving you a cheer.



Sit down and just imagine,

Savor their applause

For all your selfless hours

In a worthy cause.



Then stand and give a speech

That they all long to hear.

Tell them that you’re honored

To be Mother of the Year.



When your speech is over

And reality comes back

And you see those runny noses

And that mile-high laundry stack



Don’t put on self-pity,

That familiar way to feel.

For the cheering you’ve imagined

Is not too far from real.



For there are many cheering

And there is much applause

For your selfless hours

In a worthy cause.



Concourses of angels

And loved ones yet unknown

Are watching and applauding

From a Heavenly home.



If you listen closely

You may faintly hear

Pure applause from heaven

For YOU, Mother of the Year.



So wear these flowers proudly

You are being recognized

Every second, every hour

You are loved in Heaven’s eyes.



Christy Hinkson

Motherhood—the Greatest Work

The debate is back with some people questioning the value of the role of stay-at-home mothers. It is amazing that anyone would actually think that mothers who do not leave their homes to join the workforce are not working. As a mother of 10 children and the grandmother of 4, I would like to invite anyone who holds this belief to come to my house and follow me around for a day. Children enter this world through a process called "labor" and the work associated with motherhood is never done. Each and every mother in this world works and works hard.

By watching a mother at work you can witness what she does for her family physically, but it is impossible to witness the enormous impact that a mother has on the world now and forever. I dare anyone to find any job on Earth that is more important and has a more lasting effect on humankind than mothers do. Governments rise and fall, companies come and go, celebrities leave superficial impressions but no one can shape and influence another human like a mother can. Women do many kinds of work and make lasting contributions to the world, but any contribution pales in insignifigance when compared to the impact of what she does as a good mother.

Sometimes mothers doubt their ability to impact because motherhood is available to so many. This responsibility is given by God to so many, because it is SO important. Every hero that has entered this world came the same way, tiny, fragile and placed by God into the arms of a mother. Mothers teach and influence their children in a very personal way, who in turn teach and influence others, who teach and influence many others and on and on and on. All that is good and right in this world can be traced back to the influence of somebody's mother.

While I was in college, I wrote a simple song and now, 25 years later, I still believe every word of it. I will include the lyrics below. Our daughter, Heather, now the mother of 2, recorded the song. A free download is available at this link:

http://www.heartrisemusic.com/Downloads/Music/07%20The%20Greatest%20Work.mp3

The Greatest Work
The Greatest Work that I will ever do, will be in my own Home
I want to live in a way that I can give and make my potential known.
The greatest thing that I will ever do, I know inside will be
To live my life as a mother and a wife and raise a family.
The greatest work, the greatest thing, now is clearly in my view
I may reach heights unknown, but I know that in my home,
Is the greatest work that I will ever do.
Christy Hinkson