Happy Mother’s Day: The World’s Forgotten Heroes

On January 30, 2000, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, Kurt Warner of the St. Louis Rams (now LA Rams) hoisted the Vince Lombardy trophy over his head after winning Super Bowl XXXIV. The State of Missouri was filled with joy and labeled quarterback Kurt Warner a hero.

Throughout the United States of America, soldiers from all branches of service return from deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). Medals and promotions were addressed to those who had earned their right to pin them upon their chest. Just like Kurt Warner, they were labeled heroes. These are two different scenarios that define two completely different types of heroes. But in the end, they are viewed as heroes we should look up to; heroes.

At the same time, in a small, beyond-repairable apartment in Boston, a single mother makes dinner for her 5-year-old son after working 12 hours and earning only minimum wage. On the inside, she feels defeated and embarrassed to face her family and friends. However, on the outside, the side that her 5-year-old son views daily, regardless of the circumstances, is that she is happy and full of life. She emits an amazing ray of light that says:

“No matter what we go through, I will be there for you son and you will never go without.”

Despite how she feels on the inside, her son doesn’t notice due to her phenomenal level of compensation.

After evaluating all of the astonishing things this mother does for her son, at the end of the day, there is no Vince Lombardy trophy hoisted above her head. There are no medals pinned on her chest for her heroic deeds. There is no standing ovation or even as much as a “Good job, mom.” No, this single mother only gets a new day to repeat the same processes.

Our society complains daily about not getting the recognition we believe we deserve. Yet, so many heroic events happen around us without our knowledge because we are complacent. You, as the reader, may know this person; at least you should be familiar with them since they have already done so much for you and your siblings. They have a fancy title for her; they call her mom. Does she ring a bell? She should.

Mom is the one that carried you for nine months when you were incapable of supporting yourself, yet. Mom is the one that helped you grow when Dad was too busy or was away at work. Mom is the one who told you it was going to be okay, even though she knew deep down inside that it really wasn’t that easy and it would take some time. Does mom ring a bell now?

As an avid sports fanatic, I have considered many of my favorite athlete’s heroes. In fact, as a former fan of the St. Louis Rams (now the LA Rams), I, too, labeled Kurt Warner a hero. But now that I am older and wiser, I realize I have forgotten the most important person I have failed to acknowledge: my mother.

Every mother on this planet, regardless of whether they are rich, poor, or even famous, is a hero. Yes, some mothers do not deserve such a title, but I can assure you the ones that do outweigh the few that do not. This doesn’t mean we have to present them with trophies and medals because I can guarantee you, those things do not mean much to them. In fact, I am willing to bet it is twice as special when she gets to see you being awarded these things.

So what does this mean? What should you do? Perhaps you should start off with something small like, “Thank you, mom. Thank you for being there for me when no one else was. Thank you for helping me grow up to be the person that I am today. More importantly, thanks for being my mom.”

The world is full of people like Kurt Warner and honorable soldiers who deserve to be called heroes. But none of these are more deserving than your beautiful mother. To leave her out of the equation would simply be a tragedy. On behalf of all sons and daughters of the world, I would like to say, “Happy Mother’s Day. You truly are heroes.”