Mothers Day.

Hello there my friends,

How are you?
I hope that you're all good where you are currently.

There is mist in Dunedin, today, but the water is blue, and there's some wave action from where I type.

The birds are making the most of their songs, and singing happily in the trees.

It is getting closer to winter, but days like these you do forget that winter is coming. The persimmon tree is having a beautiful shade of copper leaves as it gears down to winter.
We haven't had a fruit off it yet, some flowers but it to cold down here to get fruit off it, it's more a north island fruit.
 Still a beautiful tree all the same.

Today because it's mothers day, I want to share with you some thoughts about mothers day.

Back in 1912 was the first mothers day memorial service. Anna Jarvis, thought it was a good idea, to to hold a memorial service for her mother, and said that the second Sunday in may should be mothers day.
 and Created Mothers international association. to comermiserate all the mothers that we have in our lives.
It then filtered down, to the Presidents at that time to make it a day in America.

So that's where the day comes from back in  1912.

Of course all mothers a special, they gave birth to us, and we all have people in our lives, that are like mothers if our mothers are absent, or have died.

So it's important to acknowledge those people in our lives, that are like mothers.
Of course in these, lock down, all we can do is to have mothers day at home, and prepare meals for them, and maybe a special cake to honor our mothers.

Where I used to work, we used to have high tea at the castle, for mothers, it was always great excitment and I used to look forward to baking all the mothers day things, we'd have about 70 high teas to do, all at different times and settings.

Looking back on it was really exciting, and I didn't mind working mothers day sundays, to bless the mothers in our communities.


Of course some times, as much as we love our mothers, we can have strained relationships with them.

Or things we look back on, and it has hurt us.

Forgiveness is amazing thing, and it not only sets you free, it also sets the other person free.

So if you're in that camp, make the right step, in ringing your mum and telling her how much you love her, and appreciate her. By doing that, your blessing her, and blessing yourself.

Our lives, are never easy, but we know that Jesus adopts us into his family, that he is our mother, father, brother and sister.

But that does not mean forgetting our natural family, or ignoring them.

Rather blessing them even more, because it is a real blessing to have them in our lives.

I remember a church service, as a child, there were little cards up the front, and we'd go and give them to people who we appreciate who were just there for us when we needed them. It was a lovely exercise to do.

May you can't be with your mother on this mothers day, maybe you live in a different part of the country, there is zoom, and there's email, face book, and phone.

Maybe an aunt has stepped in, when your mother has died, and you would like to contact her, to say thank you.

Or another deep friend, who has been there.

It's important to be thankful in everything you do, so that you are gracious to the person. and show real love to the people around you.

Jesus calls us to have grace and live it to the full.

He calls us to serve each other, because he leads by example.

So serve each other loving one another as Christ loves you.

He set himself aside so that he can live.

Finally I want to share with you, one of my favourite mothers memory.

When I was at primary school, mum did home sewing, for different companies.

I was sent to bed at normal time to get a good sleep, and after mum sewing her garments for others, she'd start on our  clothes for school.

I'd wake up in the morning, in winter, with beautiful clothes, that she had done, for me, so that I would be snuggly warm in my polar fleece gear.

Later I'd use this same year, to go on ski camps, and mum would often come and cook for us as well.
 So that is one my of my favourite memories, as a child, waking up to new clothes in the morning.
Chloe