Mother’s Day looks different for me now.
My mother passed away in December 2025, and I miss her deeply. At the same time, I want to celebrate the woman who mothers our family today—my wife who is my best friend.
So, this post is both: a tribute and a thank you. And it’s also an encouragement to anyone carrying the weight of motherhood, especially single moms.
To All the Single Mothers Out There: Don’t Give Up Hope
My mother was on her own when she was pregnant with me. She seriously considered placing me for adoption. She didn’t—and later she told me she never regretted that decision.
She raised me on her own, often working two jobs to help get me through private high school and college. She made sure we had a home, food, and clothes.
And she made sure we were in church every Sunday.
Looking back, I still cannot imagine how difficult it was for her. There were times I found her crying (she didn’t know I knew). But even then, she kept going.
The Bible says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). When I look back on her life, I see a woman who was often stretched thin—but held up, sustained, and carried through.
And Scripture honors that kind of faithful strength:
- “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the law of kindness is on her tongue… Her children arise and call her blessed” (Proverbs 31:26, 28).
- “Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9).
If you’re a single mom reading this: God sees the work nobody else sees. The tears you wipe away when no one is looking matter. The sacrifices you make are not wasted.
In Her Last Years, I Was Grateful to Give Back
Near the last few years of her life, I was grateful to give back my time—helping her daily with cooking meals, finances, doctor appointments, and so on.
I didn’t see it as something I had to do. I saw it as something I got to do.
The Bible teaches us to honor our parents (Exodus 20:12), and it also speaks directly about caring for family as a real expression of faith (1 Timothy 5:8). Being able to show up for her in those years felt like a gift from God—an opportunity to love her in a practical way after all she had done for me.
And I believe this with my whole heart: God brought her through all of that and was with her in the end.
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18). That promise has meant more to me since December 2025 than I ever expected.
For My Wife, My Best Friend
For my wife—my best friend—thank you.
The best decision I’ve ever made (after coming to Christ) was to marry you.
Thank you for sticking with me for almost thirty years of marriage. You have always been there. You nurtured our children into fine adults. I could not imagine life now without you.
We’ve laughed and cried. Been angry and hugged our forgiveness. Experienced the ups and downs in our family—and God has been there with us throughout.
Marriage isn’t built in the highlight reel moments. It’s built in the daily choices: to stay, to grow, to forgive, and to love again.
Scripture says:
- “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4, 7).
- “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:14).
- “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24).
I’m grateful not just for what we’ve been through—but for who you are and how you are in the middle of it all.
“Two are better than one… For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow” (Ecclesiastes 4:9–10).
That’s been true for us. God has been faithful, and you have been faithful.
Thank you for being who you are.
Mother’s Day After Loss: Grief and Gratitude Together
If you’ve lost your mom, Mother’s Day can hurt. If you still have her, it can be sweet. And for many of us, it’s a mix—grief and gratitude in the same day.
This Mother’s Day, I’m honoring my mother’s memory and celebrating my wife’s presence. And I’m thanking God for the way He has been with us through it all.
Closing
To my mom: thank you for choosing me, raising me, and holding on to hope. I love you and I miss you.
To my wife: thank you for almost thirty years, for our family, for your love, and for your steady presence. Happy Mother’s Day.
And to every single mother: don’t give up hope.