By Charlene M Brown
Sometimes the women closest to us are not our mothers, yet they’ve mothered us just the same.
They might be our best friend’s mom, an aunt, or maybe even a college professor or elementary school teacher. Whoever they are, they have provided some mothering at some point in our lives!
I work with teenagers and at some point many of them accidentally call me “Mom.” I mostly take this as a compliment (mostly! 
), glad that they view me positively. Coincidentally, I am often asking them to do something a second time (read, “nagging” them).
Perhaps you don’t get along so well with your mother so you’ve turned to other women for support and guidance. Or maybe you do have a good relationship with Mom, but just need an outside perspective.
Mothers, whoever they may be to you, are the backbone of most societies. In most cultures, women are the ones responsible for the running of the household, the raising of the children, the feeding of the family.
What would we do if not for these everyday acts of courage of doing what needs to be done to make sure the family is taken care of!?
We would perish!
No matter who your “mothers” are, make sure you tell them “Thank You! for being wonderful!” They need to hear that too, maybe more than everyone else.
Mother’s, whatever shape they come in, are pillars of strength and true beauty.
So go make that phone call, send that card, make that lunch appointment with the women you call mothers. Send them some roses or fresh made bread or a basket of fruit—do something to let them know you are thinking about them and grateful for their womanliness!
It doesn’t have to be a large gesture-just something so that they know you care.
Stevie Wonder’s song, “I Just Called To Say I Love You” always does the trick for me! Every time I hear that song, I get all warm and fuzzy and want to call everyone I know to say a big old “I Love You!” So go find that song and listen to it, then call all your mothers and let ‘em know how much you care!
Do You Love Your Life Now!? I Do! (Because I have been surrounded by women of beauty, strength, courage and grace who have all mothered me and I am grateful!)
By Charlene M Brown’
When I was 14, I was fiercely independent! This hasn’t changed a whole lot since then, but I have calmed down a great deal—now I am calm and fiercely independent, instead of the angry little girl that I once was. (That’s relative too!)
Recently, I took my mother to the zoo. She brought snacks, just as if we were little kids on a class trip to the zoo! My sister-in-law was there too and we both got a kick out of my mom’s snacks!
Let me backtrack a moment: When I was in high school, my mom was the “team mom” and after every game she had treats for us, no matter if we won or lost! And if she couldn’t make the game, she would send the bag with me so my team would know she was there in spirit!
I used to hate when my mother did this.
Now I realize that small things like that bring my mother a great amount of joy.
It delights my mother if she can bring me an unexpected Reese’s Cup because she knows it’s my favorite.
My mom takes great delight in simply mothering—it’s just what she does!
So instead of always getting annoyed that my mother smothered me, I have learned to be grateful for a few things from the experience: 1 that I have a mother; 2 that I have a mother who cares; and 3, most importantly, that in appreciating such a small gesture from my mother and saying thank you for it, I can bring my mom lots of delight.
People are giving by nature. Mothers tend to be really good at this. Part of their joy comes from giving, especially to their children (no matter how old—and wait ‘til the grandbabies start coming!). I was being selfish and narrow-minded by not appreciating this gesture. So now I try to appreciate it and others like it.
People take delight in giving. Let’s honor them by receiving with an open heart and spirit.
So thank you Mom, for bringing us snacks on our recent adventure to the zoo! I really appreciate your thoughtfulness!
Do You Love Your Mom Now!? Yeeeaaaahhhh!