Friday, May 10, 2002 | 4:28 a.m.
EVERY DAY should be Mother's Day because of the important role they play in our lives and the lives of children around the world. I was most fortunate to have a mother who cared for me through all kinds of illness and broken bones.
As I have written before, we didn't have money for doctors or medical care, which was 15 miles down a rutted road. It was mom who cared for us when we suffered from measles, bronchial pneumonia, chicken pox, broken bones or deep wounds. It was also mom who would walk two or three miles to a neighbor's house to help deliver a baby or care for a child suffering from scarlet fever.
Life was difficult for her, but like my father, I never heard her whine or complain about the problems she faced every day as a mother, teacher, gardener, wife and nurse. We did notice how fervently she prayed as she knelt in St. Patrick's Church on Sundays.
My children have also had the benefit of a great mom and our grandchildren have continued to benefit from the blessings of good mothers. This Sunday all of our children and grandchildren will find time to join me in honoring their mothers. I'll be several thousand miles and 10 time zones away, but my thoughts will be in Las Vegas with them.
Our family knows how fortunate we have been in having good mothers. Carolyn, my wife, and I had the opportunity to have her mother live with us for 25 years prior to her death. Her presence in our home and her influence on all of her grandchildren and great grandchildren was invaluable. Mom, as all of us called her, had soft hands when comforting a crying child and a piercing voice when defending one of our offspring. She taught her lessons of life in a quiet but firm voice when advising the children. Even the most mischievous child found instant forgiveness from Mom.
Over the years I have come to realize the strength of mothers the world over is a very special human attribute. If I were to select an important person to grace the front of Time magazine, my choice would be an American mother raising her family in an area economically depressed where gangs run the streets. Somehow, large numbers of these women, mostly black, raise good children who become good citizens. The pain of losing a child to the brutal gang culture doesn't keep them from succeeding with guiding brothers and sisters through school and into productive citizenship.
Watching Miskito Indian mothers in Nicaragua carrying their babies several miles through the jungles to vote made a deep impression on me. One lady walked for miles to vote and delivered her baby the morning of voting day. With the help of her husband, she cast her ballot that evening. These women used voting in hopes of creating a better society for their children to have when reaching maturity. They always have hope despite the disappointing results of most elections.
A loving Israeli mother puts her child on a school bus and then waits to hear that the bus has reached its destination safely. That night the child's oldest sister is killed by a suicide bomber when attending a disco gathering with her friends.
The Palestinian mother loves and teaches her children the difference between right and wrong. She tells her young son to come home right after school. One day there is an explosion down the street where one of his friends has accidentally detonated an explosive they found near a culvert, and three children, including her son, are dead.
The Sudanese mother is missing her child at the evening meal. She searches for him several days, knowing in her broken heart that he has been abducted and sold into slavery.
Being a mother isn't an easy assignment any place in today's world.
People fortunate enough to have living mothers should in their happiness make this a very special weekend for them. Those who have lost their mother should spend some time recalling the days they had with her and the lessons she taught them.
Mothers are very special people who deserve our love and respect every day of the year.
archive
