Mothers give so much of themselves each day. Proverbs 31 speaks of the characteristics of a virtuous woman. This is someone I strive to imitate. I feel for the women of today with all of their struggles and pressures.

Because of this, two of my friends and I hosted a Women’s Retreat last weekend. We invited women from our church and the surrounding communities to attend this event at our church. It was an honor serving and visiting with all the women who attended!

The description in Proverbs 31: 10-31 reminded me of my mother when I first read it years ago. Mom raised four children by herself in a time when divorce was rare. She accomplished this without financial support from my father. Mom took in laundry and ironing orders till she started working at a research company in town. I was 10 years old by then.

My grandmother, another picture of a virtuous woman, helped Mom out by cooking suppers and watching us during the summers. It was obvious from whom our mother received the work ethic she possessed. Gram put us to work, too. There was no such thing as sleeping past 7:00 am on summer vacation. We washed laundry and hung it on the clothesline by 7:30 and 8:00. There was time for fun, too, but work always came first at our house.

Mom brought us up as goal-oriented, well-adjusted citizens. All four of us grew into successful adults. Mother turned 90 years old this past September 14. To honor her, we hosted a birthday party for all of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and some of her friends. We provided a catered meal and cake for all those who attended. She was totally surprised and greatly pleased. Mom went without many things to provide for the four of us.  She truly deserved this honor and celebration.  Mom enjoyed visiting with everyone throughout the day. One niece created a DVD of Mom’s past 90 years using pictures she solicited from us. What an incredible blessing for all of us to watch! It was truly a wonderful way to celebrate and honor a truly remarkable mother!

What have you done for your mother lately? Or, if you are a mother, what is one thing you would enjoy that would make you feel appreciated? Please let me know of other ways to honor women. Leave a reply at the bottom of this page. Thank you for stopping by my website. Have a terrific autumn day!