The Measuring Cup

Mother’s Day. Hard to believe another year has flown. Since my mother died several years ago, Mother’s Day began changing for me, as did many of the family traditions that orbited around her and Dad. Traditions of gatherings that we never considered breaking… traditions that were born of their large, cohesive families who grew through the early 1900’s, the World Wars, the Great Depression, and ongoing challenges. Yet amidst all that, there was an esprit de corps, an overall sense of working together, of upholding one another. Certainly there were families where this was not the case… still, as a country, and for most families we knew, it was an abiding outlook that undergirded our way of life.

“Is your cup half full or half empty?” is a familiar phrase that Mom and I discussed several times. Hers was filled to overflowing, her joy, faith, delight with life, and great sense of humor buoys that kept her afloat during hard times. She grew up poor, but never knew that condition, so rich was her family in love, faith, hard work, and family integrity. A favorite early picture shows my maternal grandmother with several of her children, bedraggled, worn, and threadbare, sitting on overturned buckets eating watermelon. The sparkles in their eyes and the grins on their dirt-smeared faces nearly leapt off the picture. They were poor, farm work was hard, but they were mightily blessed and knew it. They focused on the positive, and forged ahead. I rarely heard “oh, poor me,” stories from my parents and grandparents. They were too busy working to survive, enjoying the beauties of life together, and upholding the freedoms they had.

Today dear husband surprised me with day-early Mother’s Day presents, a beautiful Spring bouquet in a vintage wire-handled jar, a decadent blueberry muffin, and a new one-cup glass measuring cup. Mom’s vintage glass measuring cup had broken unexpectedly one day, and with it a little chunk of history wafted away. Though life is different now, and family traditions have changed, I am finding I can still look at that new empty measuring cup, and say, “Yes, indeed, my cup is filled to overflowing.” For after all, the fact life has challenges hasn’t changed much in the course of human history. It’s impact depends on one’s outlook.

Here’s wishing you each a wonderful Mother’s Day, no matter whether family is near or far, or even exists, or whether or not one has children of one’s own. There is that thing in a woman’s soul that has to do with caring, nurturing, loving, upholding. Whoever you are, and whatever your situation, may your life, and soul, be filled to overflowing. And if you have watermelon, go ahead… spit some seeds!

Romans 8:28 (NKJV) 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.