On this past Mothers’ Day Eve, I was indeed honoured to host on the Saturday morning program, Social Solutions, two faithful mothers and one model child. Even more honoured was I to be on national radio in the company of my own devout mother, Geraldine “Lee” Harrigan, and apart from tributes for mother, the idea was to reflect upon the blessings of motherhood. Mrs Patricia Adams, a dedicated mother of five, herself, added flavour to the broadcast with her noble views of mothering, as she brought into focus extracts from her own maternal experiences. Further, one of Anguilla’s most beautiful lasses, Tonya Carter, added grace to the cast as she spoke highly of mother’s love from her own exemplary perspective as a child.

James R. Harrigan

Well, of all the sentiments experienced in the realm of human relationships, it is evident that none is as profound as that of mother and child. Of course I am a firm advocate of the “one-flesh” principle ordained of God that defines the relationship between man and wife. In all earnestness, I am subject as a recipient of the biblical order that for the sake of intimate love, mutual companionship and erotic affection, a man must leave his mother’s nest and “cleave” to his darling wife to unify as one flesh. That is the way God planned to propagate the human race, and the natural affinity that exists between spouses is by far the most intricate of nature’s attributes.
However, the innate potential that empowers a lady with the capability to bond with her own offspring, no matter what his or her marital status may be, is a God-given treasure of instinctive design which not even death can tarnish. Likewise, the natural homage that impels a child with the duty to honour, love and treasure a mother is one of life’s boldest passions.
At this juncture, I am reminded of the old colloquial adage: “yuh can always find another wife, but yuh can never find another mother”. The love and attraction between husband and wife is mysterious. Paul the apostle admonished men to continually love their wives, equating the marital union with the relationship between Jesus Christ and the church.
However, it is obvious that husbands and wives separate with rising frequency; marriages are annulled, destroyed, forgotten and then re-created with new partners; spouses may even pass away, leaving the option open for the surviving party to re-marry, and yet another spouse is gained. But no matter what may betide, a good mother’s love and her caring touch remains unchanged. And while fond memories of former spouses can become overshadowed or erased by the thrill of current relationships, the memories of a mother’s love linger long even after she is “gone”. It is an ardent love sustained throughout the years – a love that never dies.
Apart from the power of the sustainability of a mother’s love, though, all guests on the Mothers’ Day Radio program stressed that the characteristic of partiality among children must never be demonstrated in mother-child relationships. Mothers who may be insensitive enough to display a prejudicial love for favourites without an element of balance or equity can cause grudges to surface and hatred, resentment and covetousness can develop among siblings. Therefore, no matter how tempted a mother may feel to reveal her “favourite child”, she must be obliged by the constraints of justice not to expose her family to potential conflicts through traits of partiality that can ultimately contaminate her precious endearing love.
Considering the immense volume of their love, mothers are to be praised, pampered and honoured by their children. A child should be able to recognize a mother’s love at tender age, and such love should be naturally reciprocated. A mother’s role in the home must be appreciated and, ideally the father or man of the house should recognize mother’s devotion enough that he should ever- so-often call the children’s attention to respect her for her cognitive qualities and her dedication to her family’s well-being. As the saying goes, “mothers know best”. And mystically enough, mother always knows.
My darling wife is the faithful mother of three promising boys. Apart from raising our children in the fear of God and with regard for their fellow-man, we have made it a point of duty to train them so that they can develop natural love and respect for each of their parents. So, as a sincere mother, Pat is highly esteemed and cherished by her children. They are assured of the binding presence of her affection, and she doesn’t need to demand their love and gestures of obeisance, for it just flows naturally.
Even as a dutiful father, I know that I might never garner that quality of affection and bonding which exists between my sons and their mother. Perhaps my disadvantage can be traced to the fact that I have no daughters – unfortunately. I had always longed for a little girl, by the way, but does it really matter? I am in no way left in the cold, for I too am blessed with the pride of fathering and nurturing three loving young men.
Still, no matter what the constituency of the family might be, I usually observe a powerful kind of attachment between devout mothers and both their daughters and sons. No wonder the prophet Isaiah asked this universal question in Chapter 49 and Verse 15, “Can a woman forget her nursing child and not have compassion for the son of her womb?” The answer is implicit and yet so clear. Maternal love is supernal in strength. It’s a love of a special kind.

James Harrigan with guests l-r: Patricia Adams, Tonya Carter and his mother Mrs. Geraldine Harrigan

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