“I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” 2 Tim. 1:5

I am not really a big fan of all the hoopla made over national recognition days like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Grandparent’s Day, or any of the other special recognition days we celebrate nationally. I’m not opposed to them. I believe it’s good to honor those who play significant roles in our lives as individuals and a nation. My question is why we don’t honor them more often than just Mother’s Day—or Father’s Day? And is Mother’s Day really about mothers or more about card companies and restaurants raking in additional profits? I also think our feeble attempts to say thank you often end up being nothing more than predictable, trite, eulogistic drivel that is more about fulfilling our duty than truly honoring our moms.

Mothers and grandmothers, you are worthy of more, especially you godly grandmothers and mothers! So while our attempts to honor you on Mother’s Day may sometimes seem rather pathetic—not to minimize how nice flowers and cards, or taking you out to dinner at a nice restaurant may be—I think we can do better. May I suggest to all the sons and daughters whose mothers are still living that we make Mother’s Day a real tribute to Mom—not just an excuse to go out for dinner.

Here’s what I propose:

1. Gather any family that is available to dinner at your house. Those who are not mothers  assume responsibility for making dinner and cleaning up.

2. During or after dinner, all the sons and daughters take turns sharing a personal  “eulogy” extolling the qualities they most appreciate about “Mom” and “Grandma”. (Why do we wait till a person’s funeral to do this?) Husbands, this is a perfect opportunity for you to express your gratitude for the special qualities your wife has displayed as a mom to your children. If your mom and grandmother are long distance, write it out and send it to them, or call on the phone and tell them.

3. After the eulogizing, gather around the moms and grandmothers in your family and lay hands on each one as you then pray for them and speak a blessing over them. You may even want to write out a special blessing that all the family says together.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I think that would be a Mother’s Day Mom and Grandma would not forget. And I think God would smile too.

So, to you mothers and grandmothers out there, may God bless you and make you like Lois and Eunice!

GRANDPAUSE: “I regard no man as poor who has a godly mother.” –Abraham Lincoln