Mom

Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. Deuteronomy 5:16

Nothing good ever happens after midnight. Back when I was a teenager, this was one of my mother’s favorite maxims. On my way out the door on Saturday night, she’d remind me of my curfew and if I questioned it, she’d remind me of that inexorable truth – Nothing good happens after midnight. I was a pretty good kid, so I didn’t push my curfew, but neither did I put any stock into her truism. She was just a mom, being a mom. Later though, as an adult beginning to struggle with addictive behaviors, I reflected on my mother’s wisdom. I noticed that when I worked overnights, my self-control would radically wane. When working days, I’d wake up in the morning, determined to stay sober, but the more time I spent working overnights, the more I’d wear down and eventually surrender to my self-destructive behaviors. As it turned out, mom was right. Staying up past midnight wasn’t and still isn’t healthy for me. In recovery now, I try to be in bed by nine because I find that my self-control drops radically later in the day and, if I want to avoid eating 1,500 calories every night, it’s much easier if I’m asleep.

When I was young, my mom simply didn’t understand. Having kids of my own now, I know what my mom knew – Kids make terrible choices that could often be avoided if they’d simply listen to their mom. It’s painful for any parent to watch their kids struggle and so, mom tried to tell me, but I didn’t always listen. That doesn’t mean her attempts to share her wisdom were futile though. In the disaster of my addiction, when my life fell apart, I returned to the faith that she had once instilled in me. Had my faith not been nurtured as a child, I’m not sure what I’d have done in that disaster. When I was at my lowest, my mother was the one person who told me she believed that God would work everything out. Again, I put no stock in her wisdom. She simply had no idea how bad things were. Ten years later though, and I must once again admit it – Mom was right.

The fifth commandment urges me to listen to my parents, promising a better life if I do. Like my heavenly father, my parents love me, desiring what’s best for me. I haven’t always listened, but, in my worst disaster I returned to the faith my mother instilled in me. In returning to that faith, I found a new life, and for that, I’m profoundly grateful.

Thanks Mom! I love You!