Mom, You're the Best!

We need capes. Long, bright, red capes with SSM (Super Single Mom) emblazoned on the back. Underneath, we’ll wear an ever-so-flattering super suit that trims us down in all the right places. We’ll be able to leap buildings in a single bound, kiss multiple cherubic cheeks, do dishes in two minutes or less and prepare gourmet meals from potato chips and spaghetti.

If only . . .

Unfortunately, I’m no caped crusader when it comes to motherhood. I’m grumpy every second Tuesday, goofy most Mondays and cranky on Saturday cleaning days. I don’t get enough rest, and many of my meals are simply leftovers served with creative new ingredients, like ketchup or salsa. But I still think it’d be fun to have the supermom outfit, maybe just to wear around the house on Mother’s Day.

Got the love

While I may not have superhero status, I do love my daughter. I love her laugh, her heart, her beauty, her smarts. I love being her mom even when I’m not perfect.

So on this Mother’s Day I want to celebrate being a mom. I want to celebrate all of us single mothers, disheveled as we may be. Whether your kids bless you with flowers and homemade cards, bring you breakfast in bed, yell from the rooftops their undying devotion –– or forget the day –– let this bring a smile: Mom, you’re the best!

Susan

I want to celebrate moms like Susan, who valiantly raised two children on her own. She set aside her own desires and poured time and effort into their lives. She read stories until she could barely keep her eyes open. She held her daughter through preteen tears and taped bandages around the limbs of her adventurous son. She prayed over them as they slept and then fell into her own bed, exhausted and spent. Susan’s kids are grown; the daily tasks are done even as she continues to love and pray. I celebrate you, single moms of grown children, who fought the good fight for many years and now leave the rest up to their heavenly Dad.

Amy

I celebrate moms like Amy, the artist and single mother of a toddler boy. She’s following her dream and works from home, even though her young son topples paint and then laughs in sheer delight at the colorfully splattered floor. In those moments, Amy can’t help but scoop him up, nuzzle his warm cheek and laugh with him. They may not have fancy new things, but they have each other — and that is enough. So I celebrate you, single moms of little ones, who set aside your own temper tantrums to giggle with your child and smooch those cheeks covered in paint and leftover peanut butter. You are beautiful.

Jane

I celebrate moms like Jane, a strong woman who agonizes over her son’s choices. She longs to see him become the man God fashioned him to be, but he’s made different choices. So she prays and loves him when he lets her, and she keeps her door open even as she sets firm boundaries. It’s painful, and Jane wonders if this season will end. But she continues on. She loves, she prays, she cries. So I celebrate you, single moms of hurting teens, who wring your hands in the middle of the night but still manage to cling to the One who has not forgotten either of you.

Wherever and whoever you are, I celebrate you as a single mother. On this day, may you feel God’s delight in you. May you know how He bends, with a smile on His face, as He watches your world. May you know how deeply He desires to help and how much He cares about the smallest details. May you feel the warmth of His love in the sunshine and the depth of His love in the words of a pastor, a friend, a passing neighbor.

Look for Him this Mother’s Day, and you may just hear His booming voice from the heavens or even His quiet whisper in the wind as He says (with a grin), “Sweet single mom, you are the best!”