Turning into my Mother

One morning, while brushing my teeth, I looked up and saw my mother staring back at me in the mirror. I was so startled I swallowed some toothpaste. How could this be? Without haste, I ran into my bedroom and the sight of what I found stopped me dead in my tracks. I was standing in what appeared to be my mother’s bedroom. The shoes, the clothes, the décor all said “dear ole mom.” As I gaze around my eyes catch a glimpse of myself in the full length mirror. I squinted hard and ever so gingerly I turned around. I dare not look with both eyes so I peek out with one at the reflection in the mirror. There it was….right there in front of me…well behind me really. My mother’s butt!

I distinctly remember making a pact with myself at 11 years old that I would never become my mother. I vowed never to wear comfortable shoes, lose touch with the top 40, or embarrass my daughter by asking her friends silly questions. Yet, there I stood in comfortable shoes, unable to name one pop tune to save my life and about to ask my daughter’s friend if her mother will be home while my daughter visits. I look to the left and see my 11 year old daughter standing next to me. I can see on her face what she is thinking for I once stood in her place with the same expression as I vowed never to become my mother. Helpless to stop the giggle from becoming audible; I think of the day my daughter will look in the mirror and see me staring back at her.

As I recovered from the shock of this event, I realized there is a lesson to be learned in all of this. A mother’s influence lasts a lifetime. If we will one day become our mother’s then one day our daughters will become us! What will our daughter’s see in that mirror looking back at them? I find myself constantly thinking, “Mom was right all along.” I even have out of body experiences when I realize I am saying exactly the same words to my daughter that my mother spoke to me. What words will our daughters say to their daughters?

A day should never pass where we forget that we are not only influencing our daughters but our granddaughters and great granddaughters. We are forming a legacy of the women in our family through our words and actions. What is the legacy of the women in your family? We need to be careful to speak God’s words, show God’s love, mercy and forgiveness. The most precious gift we have (our daughters) should not be carelessly torn open or thrown away by our inability to worship the Lord through raising our daughters.

Copyright © Richele McFarlin, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved