What Mother's Day Means to Me

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 22 June 1940, Page 11

What Mother's Day Means to Me

, There are many special days observed during the year, but to me “Mother’s : Day” is the outstanding one, far above c ancient saints’ days, Mother being to i me the sweetest and noblest saint of 1 all. It is a day of retrospection when s childhood’s days are recalled and the memory of Mother idealised. While i she was with us we took so much for £ granted, and then after she had gone, I !we realised the value of the dear, t ] gentle, dignified Christian English j J i little lady we knew as Mother. * s She was always so patient—we never 1 1 | saw her in a temper, nor can I re- j \ member Father and Mother ever hav- 1 ing a disagreement. Father used to say f “You are my queen, and your word is ] i my law.” 1j As Mother’s Day recurs annually, 11 thank God for a noble and Christian 5 Mother. a “Her children rise up and call her l blessed.” s —Mrs M. E. Hunter, s 1 Maori Road. c f # * # j Mother’s Day! What does it mean to r me? Surely it brings to memory the J days of toil and self-sacrifice that were i given cheerfully for me by my dear t mother, and the debt of love and grati- t tude I owe her in return. Have I sought to show my love and gratitude by living to honour and obey her in my youth, and since I have left her f tender care? 1 Oh. the wonderful thought of giving • one day a year in honour of mother, 1 may it bring joy to her heart; but let 1 me not forget her during the other ' three hundred and sixty-four. Even a ! though I may grieve her, her love for me never changes.

Now I have the joy of telling that I am a proud mother myself, and may my own children realise they are the | r most precious gifts I can have for my| own. Let Mother’s Day then be a a day to stir mo to wonder if my daily j t walk in life as an example to set be- t fore them, as they are watching every; i step I take. “The hand that I'ocks the I i j cradle rules the woi'ld.” t The children we are training to-day ( may yet make the earth quake with f their influences for good or evil. a So I trust we as mothers and our s children will seek to give this remem- i brance day prayerful thought and careful consideration. Train up a child in the way he should I go. and when he is old he will not de - part from it.—Prov. 22:6. Mrs A. G. Sparrow. Takaka. 4 *## * a My little girl wants me to enter for t your “Mother’s Day” competition. I c think the idea of a Mother’s Day is a i l very helpful one to many of the young a people, teaching them unselfish thoughts and . service to those who have given and done all they could for them. One of my little girls brought me a small bouquet of coloured chrysanthe- t mums and the other brought white c ones from Michelmas daisies. A cai'd t was tied on with white ribbon and bore \ the words, “God bless my Mother on a this Mother’s Day.” The girls prepared s afternoon tea while I was resting on. f the couch and reading. j £ At tea time there was a lovely box j s of hankies from the family. These t little attentions do please and cheer a t mother so wonderfully. t Mrs Woodley, R.M.D,, Upper Moutere.

What a happy day is Mother’s Day. and what a lovely thought to set one day in the year apart for Mother. Of course there are other days that belong! to us, but we look forward to the j second Sunday in May as our own special day. Several days beforehand, there are mysterious whisperings in the family, 1 and we wonder what is afoot. When Mother’s Day dawns with the different members of the family bringing little gifts—writing papei*, a pair of stockings, a box of handkerchiefs, a box of chocolates—and lots of love which goes to make Mother very happy, j Then we must stay in bed for break- 1 fast—a very rare treat. When we get! up, the work is nearly done, and the little ones doing all to help. In my own case I went to the Sunday School kindergarten afternoon with about forty other mothers, and what a lovely time we had with the little ones saying their pieces, and singing thejsongs, nearly all of which were dedicated to Mother. Then the story of Moses, and his wonderful mother who j became his nurse in the palace of the king, and so was able to influence his life that he became the great leader of, the people of Israel into the Promised! Land. After the service, we each received a little cai'd, “I Love Mother” drawn! and coloured by the little children of: the kindergarten. After a rather special tea, and hav-' ing numerous little kindnesses shown. Mother’s Day drew to a close. How very fortunate we who are mothers are! —Mrs W.- A. Page, j Kawai street, Nelson. ! * * * *. Mother's Day really meant more to j me than I can put into words. Only a mother can experience such a thrill as I did when little Ivy came to me with the sweetest little dish you have ever seen and proudly told me it was all for me, and she had bought it herself with her own money she had saved from having her teeth out. (Each time she has a tooth out the fairies bring her sixpence). It was such a pleasure to think she was willing to spend her money on me like that and it was a real surprise for me. —Mrs C. A. Gibbs, j Maruia. # * * I think that to most mothers. Mother’s Day means a big thank you | to the many little things that we who I are mothers do for our children, just' because they are ours, not for the hope of getting .any gain, but for the pleasure of helping our children to enjoy and understand the ways of life. —Mrs A. J. Carter. , Bainham, Collingwood. J * * # * 1 It wasn’t till I was a mother myself that I realised what a mother had to do for her children. A child doesn’t understand the patience and perserverance one has to have to guide them and lead them on. A Mother’s Day should surely give them a little time for thought and idea, if it is only to give Mother a quiet hour in the sunshine of her special day. If they are taught to think of their parents in their childhood, I think it is a step in the right direction. —Mrs J. Bright, Redwood’s Valley.