I’m a mom.

It’s a loaded word, really. Mom. It means I’ve tried making playdough over a stove, had my hair chewed and worried over high fevers—not to mention given birth!

It means I know sacrifice, but it also means I’ve made mistakes. I’ve scolded a child for screaming at night only to find out she had been burned and cried in pain. I’ve suggested changes the teacher didn’t like to my son’s research paper. At times, I’ve had expectations that weren’t realistic.

And let me tell ya, every mom I talk to feels the same way: human. Many days, we wonder if our best shot at this parenting thing will, in the end, be enough.

But we can’t resign. We WOULDN’T resign. Because those crazy kids we carried for nine months (or filled out mountains of paperwork and spent our life savings to adopt) carry our very hearts around with them wherever they go. We simply cannot survive without them.

While some would argue that Mother’s Day is an occasion created by florists and greeting card companies, I personally think Mom deserves a day when she is Queen. She deserves a day when someone else is on duty to dress the kids and get them out the door to church, when the adult child living far from home picks up the phone to express some gratitude. It’s a great occasion to acknowledge the loads of laundry cleaned and folded, the forgotten lunches rushed to school, and the prayers she has uttered.

Those of us who are blessed to still have Mom with us typically order some flowers, select a drugstore card, and take mom out for a meal we can all enjoy. After all those dirty diapers and sleepless nights, it’s the least we can do. But I’m here to say that we can do better. For crying out loud, the woman still has stretch marks!

To make this year extra meaningful for Mom, consider the following suggestions:

Write a heart-felt letter—This year, trade out the American Greeting card for a handwritten note. Express your appreciation for mom by listing specific things you appreciate about her. Remember her holding you tight after that first break-up? Tell her so. She’ll treasure it forever.

Spend time with her—What are your mom’s favorite activities? She’d love to do them on Mother’s Day, especially if you join her! You might work in the garden, enjoy a museum, go for a long walk, watch a romantic comedy, discuss a book or take in a concert. Of course, if the concert she’d love isn’t scheduled on Mother’s Day, you can give her the tickets and promise to go with her. She’ll love looking forward to it!

Pray over her—While this doesn’t need to be elaborate and takes virtually no advance preparation, it can be more meaningful and helpful than anything else you could give her! Thank God for your mom and pray for her needs to be met like it. If you can’t be with her, you can pray over the phone. God still answers. While you’re at it, say a prayer for those without mothers, acknowledging what a difference Mom makes.

Prepare her favorite foods—Mealtime need not be fancy. Just keep Mom out of the kitchen for the day, and she’ll likely be happy. And, as a little tip, I’ve yet to meet a woman who didn’t like brunch. If someone else is wiping up the syrup spills, Mom will be all for it!

Make a donation—Most likely, Mom’s not looking for a Tiffany blue box for Mother’s Day. She just wants to know that at some point, her attempts to nurture, advise and feed have been sufficient. To let her know you can’t imagine life without her, make a donation in her honor to help a child who has no mother caring for him or her. If you’d like to make that gift to The Boaz Project, click here: www.boazproject.org/donate

While praying for Mom this month, please also remember the following prayer requests and praises for The Boaz Project:

• As we express our thanks for moms this month, pray for those who have none, that the Church would take its responsibility to them seriously.

• Thank God for a successful first foster and adoption seminar in Vladimir, Russia. Our field leader there, Bethany, held the meeting to encourage Russian Christians to foster and adopt the orphans in their city. While attendance was not all she hoped for, it was a landmark event beginning a discussion the culture has long avoided.

• Continue to lift in prayer the girls who are being forced to leave the Daya Vihar Girls’ Home to return to their home state, Jharkand. We continue to look for creative ways to ensure these girls’ safety and education.

• Thank God for the support prompted by our newsletter for El Shaddai Children’s Center in Limuru, Kenya. Please ask God to continue to raise “shareholders” for His ministry to orphans there.

• Remember in prayer the Zaozerskys as they move into the Russian Christian Foster Home this month and prepare to take in another foster child.