Posted on: Saturday, May 7, 2005

EXPRESSIONS OF FAITH

By The Rev. Dr. Roy Gaton

There is a beautiful story that tells of a conversation between a mother and her son.

"Why are you crying?" a son asked his mom.

"Because I'm a woman," she told him.

"I don't understand," he said.

His mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will."

Later the boy asked his father, "Why does Mother seem to cry for no reason?"

"All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.

Finally, he made a call to God; God replied:

I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort.

I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejections that many times come from her children.

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going even when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaint.

I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart.

I gave her wisdom and courage to stand by her husband.

I gave her a tear to shed. It's hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed. It's her only weakness. It's a tear for mankind.

Today is the 10th birthday of our daughter, Chloe, and for my wife, Lois, the 10th anniversary of being a mother. May God bless all the mothers in the world.

The Rev. Dr. Roy Gaton is director of spiritual life and pastoral care at Castle Medical Center in Kailua and adjunct professor of religion at Loma Linda University. Expressions of Faith is a column that welcomes submissions from pastors, priests, lay workers and other leaders in faith and spirituality. E-mail faith@honoluluadvertiser.com or call 525-8035. Articles submitted to The Advertiser may be published or distributed in print, electronic or other forms.