Deacon Tom Fox

May Motherhood Smiles

Dearest Catholic (and other faith) Moms. Blessings from a deacon – a deacon who has been in prayer for you. That would be me, Deacon Tom. As we enter May and the Month of Our Blessed Mother and as we approach Mother’s Day – I have a mix of emotions in me… to tell you that I am most sincere in having prayed for you and all that you do. And to tell you of my love for mothers and their children. In fact – a mother from our church just sent me a wonderful email. I’d like to frame it because she says some very nice things – but what she said at the end was, “I can tell you really love children. Thanks for making us feel welcome.” WOW! Thanks dear heart.

But this column isn’t about me… it’s FOR you… and I want to share a slightly edited email that I received from our daughter – our dear daughter Mary who lives in Missouri. Are you ready for a few motherhood smiles? Here goes – this is daughter Mary speaking:

“I spent 2-1/2 hours at the zoo this morning with (son) Holden's class. I had forgotten it was the field trip this morning as I dressed for work -- so I am in black slacks and high heels, perfect for a stroll around the zoo right? An hour into the trip, about a half of his class was tired of walking so the remaining hour-1/2 was spent piggy backing or carrying one child or another, in my high heels, through the zoo! The sun is blazing today (finally :-) and the black apparel is starting to warm up.
We pass a group of wolves that have a sprinkler going on them, but the sprinkler is messed up so it is half shooting onto the walkway. Of course all the kids want to run through it, including the one I am carrying, high heels and all! Did I mention that I have somehow become allergic to EVERY SINGLE ANIMAL in the zoo? And by the end of the first hour, I can't see because my eyes are all swollen and smeared in black mascara from rubbing and I have now sneezed
about a zillion times into a napkin from the snack bar that is as soft as
sandpaper............while carrying preschoolers in high heels! The wind is full speed today and my 10 pounds of hair product didn't stand a chance against the sprinkler and high winds, so now I look like some sort of Monster Mommy with black eyes and hair sticking out everywhere!

I return to work looking like death and smelling like a monkey. Oh, I must have forgotten to put deodorant on today too, because even the smell good lotion and spray I have just put on won't cover the monkey and sweaty armpit smells coming from me..........and I believe I have elephant poop stuck to my shoe.

Upon returning to work, I have a small box that arrived in the mail
from a great friend of mine that works in another office. She sent me a sweet little gift and a card for MOTHERS DAY (still weeks away) but it arrived today and she made a comment in there about how much she admires me for being such a great mom. I just smiled and laughed because yes today, I feel like a GREAT MOM!

This email is 100% accurate/true except for the poop part. There is poop, but I can't be sure it is elephant!”

Dear Catholic Moms… I hope the ‘editor in chief’ (that would be Ms. Hendey) is so busy that she doesn’t get a chance to preview or edit this column before it goes live… because I’d be willing to bet she hasn’t had one responsible contributing author who has every done a column containing words about elephant poop or smelly armpits. But a real mom – a mom who works at motherhood will understand this shared email. That mom will likely smile and say, “Yep! It’s true – every word is true. And in one form or another, I’ve been there.”

When this deacon next says a prayer for Catholic moms – the moms who turn to the columns found on this wonderful website… I will be praying for you to find the time for a good hot shower… some quiet minutes to decompress from your trip to the zoo or whatever has happened in your day… and for you to find a friend… someone who thinks you are a great mom. In my prayers – I believe that is true of all of you. I wish I could send you each a little gift of love and a card.

Happy Mother’s Day. I love you. And I AM in prayer for you.

Deacon Tom
www.deacontomonline.com

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Tom Fox was ordained a Deacon in the Archdiocese of Denver. He currently lives and serves in a small, but growing mountain community in northern Arizona. Tom has received many requests for copies of his Sunday homilies and his shorter Communion Service Reflections. He is an experiential preacher who uses life and stories to share a message of today for Catholics and other Christians Many of his sermons are found on the internet – and a collection of them are found on his website: www.deacontomonline.com. Tom would love to hear from you and will try to answer any questions or sharing that you send in.