I have a confession to make. This may come to a great surprise to many of you. You may think to yourself "But, he's so tough and rugged! How can that be?" Or your thoughts may be, "How can such a self-made independent man as he claim such a thing?!?" Many of you are probably thinking, "He's way too insensitive and disconnected with his feelings..." Despite what your thoughts are, it's true. I shall admit to the world now that I am truly, 100%, a momma's boy. Sure, I've chopped down trees with an ax before. And yes, I have grown a beard. And certainly, I've lifted my share of weights in my life time. But the truth is, I, Chris "Cdubsalot" Walters, am a MOMMA'S BOY.
I will argue you till I am blue in the face that I have ABSOLUTELY, WITHOUT A DOUBT, the BEST MOTHER IN THE WHOLE WORLD! Yes, my mother, Sharon Kay Walters, is the best mother a guy could ever ask or even pray for! In my mind, she is a saint! (Think about it, going 25 years as my mother? She'd have to be! And not because I'm an advocate to her redemptive suffering, but because when you live with a saint for that long, you become one. haha, seewhatididthere?) I'm not just saying this in hopes of her reading this blog post and possibly winning brownie points from her, which might lead to an even nicer Christmas gift from her in approximately 11 days. I am saying this because I believe it is the truth! And that is what leads me to be a "momma's boy". When you live with such a woman, her taking care of you and your every need, loving you through all your failures, praising and encouraging you in all your successes, supporting you through every decision, and in the end, always willing to give up whatever she may need to in order to help or serve, you become that woman's biggest fan! That is who my mother is for me, my three siblings, and my very blessed father. I have no doubt too that she prays for every single one of us every single day with all her heart. Any guy with a mother as her would inevitably become a momma's boy!
Here are a few examples of her love throughout my 25 years:
- First of all, she had 4 kids within a 5 year span from Sept. 28, 1980- July 2, 1985. Holy Moly! How does someone handle 4 toddlers/infants in such a loving way?!?!
- She loved us through 6 different moves ranging from, Lawrence, KS, Washington state, Las Vegas, Nevada, Guam, Monterey, California, Mundelein, Illinois, and Back to Kansas! Pops was in the Navy, and she was along for the ride!
- Traveling with 4 kids younger than 10 several times... That is definitely a feat in and of itself! Especially when we drove from Monterey, California to Hay, KS for summer vacations visiting the family. That long in a minivan? Are you serious?!?!
- She made me my lunch for school EVERY SCHOOL DAY OF MY LIFE!!! (not college though, even though I wish she did) And I ALWAYS had the best lunch! Those brown paper sacks would be so packed, I'd have to rip them open rather than stick my hand in to pull out each separate item. There was no room for the hand.
- She was (and still is) the GREATEST HOSTESS! She would always make sure that when anybody would visit our house, whether family or friend, they would be taken care of! Even when my high school friends would spend the night in the basement playing perfect dark on the 64 and drinking soda after soda, she'd bring down the best cheese dip and chips every time! And when we'd leave a note on the counter that sounded a little something like this: "Dear Mother, If there so happened to be french toast for breakfast in the morning, we would so happen to eat it. Sincerely, guys downstairs" There would always be french toast that was DELICIOUS! Ask my friends. They'd agree.
- When I had appendicitis the year I spent as a volunteer at the Catholic campus center at KU in Lawrence, she drove with my dad all the way to Lawrence to pick me up and bring me to the emergency room back in Kansas City, just because I told her on the phone my stomach really hurt and I couldn't hold down food. She then spent pretty much the whole night in the hospital with me.
- I could go on and on with examples, but to just end, I'd like to share that I have no doubt that she prays for each of her kids and her husband every day with one of the biggest hearts I've ever known. You could never find a mother who is more proud of her children and would do anything for them then my mother!
So, I have the best mother in the world and I'm a momma's boy... Big Deal! Way to brag Chris! Why would you blog about this? Well, that's because, despite saying that I have the best mother in the world and I would never argue that, there is a mother that is truly better than her in every aspect. In fact, this mother is one that far surpasses her love and her willingness to serve and help her children in any way she can. She even has WAY MORE children then my mother. She would lay down her life in any and every aspect she could to help her children succeed. Who might I be talking about? None other than the Mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Mother of all the living, the Mother of us all, Mother Mary. Mary is without a doubt the greatest mother any one could ever ask for, dream for, pray for, and she truly is the mother of us all! When Jesus, from the cross, entrusted His mother to John, the beloved disciple, and John to her, she became the mother of us all! She is our mother, and we definitely should take advantage of that.
I am DEFINITELY a momma's boy for Mary as well! I just recently completed the total consecration to Jesus through Mary from St. Louis Marie de Montfort for probably the 5th time on Dec. 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a day celebrating the fact that Mary was kept from sin at her birth because she was conceived Immaculately, and kept to be the ultimate Theotokos, the God Bearer, the one who was to give birth to God incarnate. I was very excited for this feast day (I meant to post this blog on that day, but didn't get it done...) and was excited four days later, on Dec. 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe! I ask Mary for help every single day, praying the Memorare more than I could admit. And every morning, when I offer my day up to God after I wake up, I also entrust my day unto Mary, praying that she intercedes for me and guides me closer to her son Jesus Christ.
Why am I such a momma's boy? And why should you even be a momma's boy or girl? Because all the love that your own mother has for you, all the things she gives up and sacrifices to help you succeed, all the passion, joy, patience, and mercy she loves you with, Mary encompasses to a degree that is FAR BEYOND OUR COMPREHENSION!!! As much as my mom has done for me, Mother Mary has far exceeded that in my spiritual journey and spiritual formation! And she wants this FOR EVERY ONE OF HER CHILDREN! She wants to help you succeed! She wants to help you know her Son Jesus Christ, and her Father in Heaven, and her Spouse the Holy Spirit. She wants to help you grow into the saint you were created to be! She desires your salvation more than you could understand! And if you but ask her for her help and ask her for her prayers, she will be faithful for no one has ever shown such faith as Mary in her ultimate yes to God, her fiat before the angel Gabriel at the annunciation. She loves you, and she would do whatever she can to help you along the path to salvation.
I know I've gone on much longer than some of you would like, which isn't unusual, but to wrap this up, and to end my campaign to convince you to become a momma's boy or girl for Mary like I am, I will share with you a story that has truly helped me in my relationship and understanding of Mary. It was share to me by a dear friend, who is truly intelligent, and has a great heart for Mary:
"Imagine that you are a little toddler. You can walk on your own, and your growing up fast! You and your mother head to the airport to take a flight. You're going to visit your father who is in a different city right now waiting for you. As you get to the airport, your mother realizes you are running late. You can tell by her quick steps that span a far greater distance and at a quicker pace than your little legs can handle. But you do your best to try and keep up. She's holding your hand as you both move through the airport briskly, and despite the hurried pace, she grasps it with such a loving, gentle touch that you can just feel her love for you. As you pass through security, she realizes you need to pick it up because you do not have much time before your flight takes off. So she says to you, 'Sweetie, jump into my arms, and I'll carry you to our gate so we make the flight to see your father.' But, you being determined and excited to see your father, you say in return, 'Don't worry mommy! I'll run really fast!'. You continue to run alongside her, but you're still not moving fast enough to make your flight. She says again, 'My child, please let me carry you so that we can go and see your father! I will take you there as quick as I can!' Again, you say, 'But mommy, I can run really fast! Even faster than this! I can do it, don't worry!' And as you travel through the airport, you're still a long distance from your gate, and time keeps slipping away. You hear over the intercom the flight attendant say 'Last call for...' and she mentions your flight. Your mother stops you in your hurried steps, kneels down to look you in the eye and says 'Sweetie, let me carry you. I will run as swiftly as I can, and I will make sure you get to see your father on time. Please, trust me.' You finally concede saying 'Alright mommy, you can carry me.' She then picks you up in her arms, and runs with you in hand to your gate and you make it just in time as they were about to close the doors to your flight. Your mother sits you down in your seat, holding your hand, and you sit there in great anticipation, knowing that you are going to see your father because of the great love of your mother."
This is what it is like for us. We are small. We are incapable. We are weak. And in this lifetime, we have quite the long journey to our Father in Heaven. But we don't have much time! And despite how determined we may be, or how excited we are to be with God in Heaven, we are incapable of getting there ourselves. But, we have a mother, who with all her love and all her heart, desires to pick us up in her loving arms, with her gentle touch, and carry us to our Father. For she knows the way, and her love is powerful enough to make our journey to Him quicker than if we did it on our own. Mary longs to bring us to her Father in Heaven, her Son Jesus Christ, her Spouse the Holy Spirit. She wants us to know their love, and she desires for us this with all her being. If we but entrust ourselves to her, if we would just allow her to carry us, she will. We must make that choice. There is no quicker way to Heaven but through Mary's help, guidance, and intercession. Through her motherly love. For Mother's always know best right!
Please, entrust yourself to your Mother. Jump into her arms, and allow her to carry you to your Father in Heaven! She desires this with all her Immaculate Heart! Every day, offer you day to God, and then entrust it to Mary. When you are in need, ask her for her prayers and assistance. When you are scared or worried, let your Mother hold you in her arms and tell you it's going to be alright, you're going to get through it. When you need strength, let your Mother tell you where your strength lies, and that is in Jesus Christ, her Son. When you need to feel loved, go to her, and she will love you with all her heart. And when you desire to know her Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ, allow Mary to bring you to Him, cause there is no mother in this world that is more proud to show off her son than Mary.
I pray for you, through the intercession of Mary, my Mother and yours, that you become a momma's boy or girl, just like me.
