The Pastor’s Piece, Pastor Kevin Cernek, FCFI Chaplain

FCFI
May 4, 2025
Mothers Day (All quotes anonymous unless otherwise noted).
Things you will probably never hear mom say: “How on earth can you see the TV sitting
so far back? Let me smell that shirt. Yeah, it’s good for another week. Go ahead and
keep that stray dog, Honey. I’ll be glad to feed and walk him every day. Well, if Ron’s
mom says its ok, that’s good enough for me.The curfew is just a general time to shoot
for. It’s not like I’m running a prison around here. I don’t have a tissue with me – just use
your sleeve. Don’t bother wearing a jacket. The wind chill is bound to improve. Don’t
worry, you don’t need to brush your teeth or comb your hair this time.”
Lessons mom taught you: My mother taught me to meet a challenge – like when she
said: “What were you thinking? Answer me when I talk to you…And don’t talk back to
me!”
My mother taught me humor: “When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don’t come
running to me.” My mother taught me how to become an adult: “If you don’t eat your
vegetables, you’ll never grow up.” My mother taught me genetics: “You are just like your
father.” My mother taught me about my roots: in “Do you think you were born in a barn?”
My mother taught me about anticipation: “Just wait until your father gets home.” My
mother taught me justice: “Someday you’ll have kids and I hope they turn out just like
you!”
One of the things that many a mother has said to her children, particularly as the
children are heading out the door is: “Remember who you are and where you came
from.” Or, to put it in more graphic terms: “I brought you into this world, and I can take
you out of it.”
Have you ever thought about who you would be without your mother? Being a mother
is the most influential position one can have on this planet.
I have an unofficial quote from George Washington’s mom: “Remember that God is our
only sure trust. To Him I commend you George, my son, neglect not your duty to secret
prayer.”
And we have pictures of George Washington at Valley Forge, on his knees in the snow,
praying to God almighty.
Abraham Lincoln’s mother raised her family in poverty. When Abe was 10 years old, in
1818, his mother died, leaving him and his sister orphans. But, in those 10 years she
taught Abe how to read – not only how to read, but to love to read and to love
education. Abe couldn’t get enough.
We all know the stories of him reading by the firelight, doing his math on the ash shovel
etc.
A writer by the name of Josiah Holland wrote about Abraham Lincoln: “Mr. Lincoln
always looked back onto her with unspeakable appreciation. ‘All that I am or hope to
be,’ he said, ‘I owe to my mother. Blessings on her memory.’”
The current Mother’s Day holiday was created by Anna Jarvis in Grafton, West Virginia,
in 1908 as a day to honor one’s mother. Jarvis wanted to accomplish her mother’s
dream of making a celebration for all mothers. She was specific about the location of
the apostrophe; it was to be a singular possessive, for each family to honor their mother,
not a plural possessive commemorating all mothers in the world.
The idea of an official Mother’s Day holiday did not take off right away, but eventually
President Woodrow Wilson made it an official national holiday on the second Sunday of
May, in 1914.
In the United States, Mother’s Day is one of the biggest days for sales of flowers and
greeting cards. It is also the biggest holiday for telephone calls.
Church-going is also popular, yielding the highest church attendance after Christmas
Eve and Easter. Many worshipers celebrate the day with carnations, colored if the
mother is living and white if she has been deceased.
I salute my wife – who has dedicated her entire life to bringing our children up in the
knowledge and love of the Lord. No one is more dedicated than her – even now that
they are adults. They are the love and center of her life. Thank you my sweetheart for
your undying love for them and me. You are the best and I love you!
I also salute my mom, who nurtured and loved me from the very start to today. Mom is
90 years old and her prayers on my behalf are cherished as much as life itself. Thank
you mom for your love and sacrifice. I love you.
Proverbs 31, verses 10 and 25, specifically, celebrate the strength, dignity, and
resilience of a mom: “She is far more precious than jewels … She is clothed with
strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.”