Maputo Mother's Day (World Race)

So what is a guy to do when it’s Mother’s Day and he’s on the World Race in Mozambique, with no internet, and hasn’t spoken to his mom on Skype in a few days?  Well first he asks his friend who’s going back to America to call her and tell her Happy Mother’s Day from him, but then his friend would think that’s too much trouble. 


So then when he sent his mandatory text message into the home office with his monthly SIM card information he’d include for the mystery person on the receiving end of his message a request with his mom’s phone number to call her and tell her he said Happy Mother’s Day.  But, of course, he’d have to assume that this mystery person behind the veil would quite possibly not oblige his, according to his presumption, uniquely original request. (ß repetitive redundancy alert)

So based on that assumption he’d decide to give her the only gift he could other than, “staying safe” and “having fun.”  He’d write a Mother’s day blog, in her honor of course… to be posted at a future date. 

He might say things like “I have the best mom in the world!” or “Thank you for being the best mom ever!”  But those things would be cliché, not to mention that they aren’t quantifiable, or able to be substantiated in objective terms.  So instead, if he valued a “different” approach to things, as he probably would seeing as how he’s on the World Race, he might say other things of a more specific and meaningful nature. 


He would probably say stuff like…

 “I know you’ve given up a lot of time with me this year and that you will be willing to when necessary in the future, because you know it’s giving my life to others and God that makes me happy, and you value my happiness and joy over yours, which is the mark of requirement for anyone in the running for the ‘World’s Best Mom Award.’”

“Not only have you been and continue to be a wonderful mom, but you’ve been an amazing wife to my dad, and for that I’m very thankful, because I love him very much and am so thankful that he has such an amazingly patient, loving and supportive wife that’s stood with him thru thick and thin.  It has provided a wonderful example of what I might someday be able to experience … Lord willin’.”

“You worked your butt off for me for so many years, more than I earned, although you’d beg to differ based on your intense love and esteem for me, you should take the compliment.  And you continue to work your butt off for me even at great stress, effort, and physical pain to you at times, all so I can keep doing what I love to do, even though that means you can’t see me right now.  That selflessness is the mark of an amazing mother, and more importantly as a follower of Christ.”


“The thing I’m the most proud of you for is your growth in the Lord.  The fact that you are seeking Him more now is one of the things I’m the most proud of in my life to be able to experience, and I pray that only grows deeper and deeper for you and dad.  And I pray that as you grow closer and closer that He proves Himself of far greater worth each day than the giver of my life and my joy, but the giver of your life and your joy and of all life and joy.  And in so doing, becomes the lens through which you view life and make decisions.  When this comes into completion it will bring me more joy than I could express in any number of blogs.”


He also might go on about how he’s come to grips with people saying that he looks just like her, even though he’s glad that he didn’t take his height from her.  Partly because it would be true, but partly to break up her tears with some laughter.  And he’d know that reading a paragraph like this would have give her a chance to wipe her eyes and shake her head and say to his dad something like, “Do you know what ‘your son’ just said?”


He’d know he couldn’t say everything he wanted to say, mainly because he wouldn’t be able to come up with all the words to describe what a wonderful mom she had been.  Which would be quite the compliment to her, considering she’d invested so much in her boy and his education that over time he’d come to acquire quite the impressive arsenal of words that would be more than sufficient for what it would take to describe the attributes and investment of any mom NOT in the running for the aforementioned, “World’s Best Mom Award!” 


He’d also know that it would probably all be overkill, because his mom loved him so much, that all she’d need to hear or read to be happy was something as simple as…

“I love you and I’m proud that you’re my mom!” 

Even though he would know that she was far too great for something so simple, he’d say it anyway because it was true.

Lastly he would probably say he wished he could have talked to her and was sorry that he couldn’t, but that he tried. 

And he’d say something like “Are you Matt Blair’s mom?”

And she’d say, “Yes I am.”