"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase"
1 Corinthians 3:6
A Message From the Horne of Africa
THE CIRCLE OF LOVE
05/10/2009
Today is Mother's Day! Reflecting on a mother's love, the following article is in honor of all our mothers here at Riverside. It is a book review taken from a much loved and well-known little book called Love You Forever--written a some years ago by Robert Munsch.
It is the story of a young mother who holds her precious new baby. Rocking him back and forth, she sings: "I'll love you forever, I'll like you always; As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be." Of course, the baby grows and grows until he is two years old. At that stage in his life ("the terrible two's"), he pulls all the books off the shelves, all the food out of the refrigerator, and flushes away his mother's watch! Sometimes his mother would say, "This kid is driving me CRAZY!" But at night time, she would rock him to sleep singing her little ditty:
"I'll love you forever, I'll like you always; As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."
The little boy grew some more until he was nine. And he never wanted to come in for dinner, or take a bath or be nice when grandma visited. Sometimes his mother wanted to sell him to the zoo! But when darkness fell, the mother would pick up that little 9-year-old and rock him back and forth and sing, "I'll love you forever, I'll like you always; As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."
The boy grew and grew into a typical teenager. He had strange friends and wore strange clothes and listened to strange music. Sometimes the mother felt like she was living in a zoo! But when night came, when that teenager was asleep, the mother would "pick up" that great big boy and rock him back and forth and sing, "I'll love you forever, I'll like you always; As long as I'm living, my baby you"ll be."
That teenager grew into a grown-up man. He left home and got a house across town. But sometimes on dark nights, the mother got into her car and drove across town. If all the lights in her son's house were out, she'd open his bedroom window, crawl across the floor and look up over the side of his bed. If that great big man was really asleep, she'd "pick him up" and rock him back and forth. And while she rocked him, she'd sing, "I'll love you forever, I'll like you always; As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."
Eventually that mother got old and tired. One day she summoned her son, "Come and see me because I am old and sick." So her son came to see her. When he arrived, she tried to sing her song. She sang, "I'll love you forever, I'll like you always...." But she couldn't finish because she was too old and too sick. The son went to his mother. He picked her up and rocked her back and forth. And he sang this song, "I'll love you forever, I'll like you always; As long as I'm living, my Mommy you'll be."
When the son went home that night, he stood for a long time at the top of the stairs. Then he went into the room where his very new little
baby daughter was sleeping. He picked her up in his arms and very slowly rocked her back and forth, back and forth. And while he rocked her he sang, "I'll love you forever, I'll like you always; As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."
Isn't that a sweet tribute to all mothers! During our life time, we take mom for granted. We might even abuse precious moments with her by being impatient and intolerant of her unique ways. We think mom will always be there. But she won't. One day, she disappears and she doesn't come back. Then there is a big hole in our hearts that no one can quite fill again. Then we realize how much she meant to us all those years. What she did, she did so skillfully that we did not notice what a marvelous gift she was. A Mom is priceless! Her price is far above rubies and we can definitely rise up and call her blessed, Proverbs 31:10; 28-31. Today we salute mothers--all of them. Bless them. We give them a standing ovation in our hearts. Thank you, moms, for being "mom" to us! Whether you are alive or whether you have passed on to your reward, "We will love you forever. We'll like you always. As long as we're living, our mom you will be."
Love you all,
Al--"the Horne of Africa."