MOTHER’S DAY is a day our nation has set aside to focus attention on motherhood—one of the least appreciated of all professions, yet one of the most instrumental in shaping the world. This occasion provides a special opportunity for children to honor their mother for sacrifices made on their behalf, and for fathers to turn their attention to the one who bore and nurtured their children.
Unfortunately, abortion has cast a dark shadow on this most honorable profession. Those of us who were born prior to the legalization of abortion may wonder if we would even be alive had abortion been legal when we were conceived. With this thought in mind, I’d like to recount one mother’s story. Her name is Eve.
Eve had just been married a short time when she discovered she was pregnant. They were poor, and so was the timing, but the couple accepted their fate and even looked forward to their firstborn. Although complications occurred with the delivery of their baby girl and Eve nearly died, they were as thrilled with their new creation as if she were God’s first.
Eve’s child was only three months old when she became pregnant again. So, one year and ten days from the birth of their first daughter, they welcomed another.
When her first two girls were only two and three years of age, Eve discovered she was pregnant again, this time with twins. But with help, they built another room and welcomed the twins--more girls--a month earlier than their due date. When she brought them home from the hospital, they were frail, blue, and wrinkly. No one, not even the doctor, gave them much hope. But Eve nurtured and loved them to good health. She now had four girls, ages four and under.
When the twins were two years old, the father’s sister (a single parent) died and left two homeless children, ages five and six. These children were welcomed into the family and the three-room home, and Eve proceeded to raise them as her own. Obviously a move became necessary, so they moved--several times.
Two years later, Eve conceived again. The couple joked that Eve always seemed to get pregnant in between his jobs. But, alas, this was no joke, so they were quite distressed at first. Nevertheless, they accepted the situation and had another girl.
Fifteen months later, with seven little ones already underfoot, Eve once more became pregnant. She was at the end of her rope. They already had so many for which to care. Even though her husband had a steady job, they still couldn’t afford another child. The doctor had warned Eve not to have any more children because of her age and health. Nevertheless, she endured the pregnancy, and this time was blessed with a son and a namesake.
This mother is mine. She had every right by today’s standards to abort any one of her pregnancies, but she rose to each occasion clothed in the virtues of patience, self-sacrifice, and unconditional love. She was blessed with a sense of humor and was armed with a strong faith in God instilled in her by her own mother.
Perhaps by Providence she was given the name Eve, which means the mother of many, the giver of life. For this life I adore her, as do her other children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, not to mention our proud father. Her example is motherhood at its best, worthy of honor.
To all the mothers who have endured similar circumstances, I extend my respect and appreciation. Without them, one-third of my friends and peers would be missing, as is the case with each age group since Roe vs. Wade. Mother’s Day might be a good time to ask your mother to recount her own history of pregnancy and childbirth. Then ask her if she is sorry that she was not allowed a “choice.”
"Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all." Proverbs 31:28-29
