Happy Mother's Day ...

Yesterday was mother’s day. It’s always a difficult day in the pulpit. Primarily because it is impossible to put into words what motherhood means to the world. It’s also a difficult day for those who have lost their mother or those who desperately want to be mothers but, through no fault of their own, have been denied that possibility. It can have the effect of creating a class system among women – those who are mothers and those who are not. In venerating motherhood we can inadvertently send the message that those who have experienced motherhood are superior to those who haven’t. All of this, of course, is not true. But that is the weekly difficulty of preaching – bringing the sacred text to life in such a way that it reflects all the complexities of real life. 

Anyway … in honor of Mother’s Day I wanted to reflect on my own mom and share just a snippet of what she means to me. No 500 word blog could ever do her justice. But here goes … 

Growing up in Pasadena, Texas in the 1960’s and 70’s, my mother was a stay-at-home mom. She was always encouraging and supporting us (my sister, two brothers and I). She was the president of the PTA. She was the head of the booster club. She was at every school event and she saved and framed every report card. She was constantly pushing us into piano lessons, voice lessons, and guitar lessons. She was always correcting our English, and drilling us on vocabulary words. When my sister won the school spelling bee it was my mother who worked with her for hours each day. When my little brother played in the band it was my mother who drove him to music lessons and stood over him to make sure he practiced his scales. When I made the football team it was my mother who sat in the stands at every game and cheered me on – winning or losing (and it was mostly losing). And for the six years that my siblings and I were all trying to get through college, it was my mother who took a job outside the home, and never once bought herself a new dress. 

After all the children in my family were finished with school, it was my mother’s turn. She ran for the Pasadena Independent School District Board of Directors. She won the election on her first attempt and became the first Hispanic and only the second woman to be elected, in what was then the 50 year history of the Pasadena Independent School Board. She served on the School board for 20 years, never having lost a race, and retired in 2008. A few years ago, the Pasadena School District completed the construction of a new educational facility for the purpose of providing on-going training for teachers. They named it the Carmen Flores Orozco Educational Training Center. They named it after my mom. She deserves it. 

You see, my mother didn’t just tell us that education was important … she lived it … she breathed it … and she showed it … in her willingness to make any and every sacrifice, no matter how difficult, in order that we would have a chance for a higher education. Her ceiling was our floor. She made sure of it. 

So that whatever accomplishments I manage to attain – whatever accolades might come my way – whatever successes I might experience – I am never alone. They belong to her as well (and my Dad). Their lives have lifted my life higher, and my life, as I know it, would be impossible without their sacrifices. And for that I will be forever grateful. Happy Mother’s day, mom.