“Bold power and glorious majesty are wrapped around her as she laughs with joy over the latter days. Her teachings are filled with wisdom and kindness, as loving instruction pours from her lips. She watches over the ways of her household and meets every need they have. Her sons and daughters arise in one accord to extol her virtues…” Proverbs 31:25

Today in Antigua and Barbuda and around the world, we celebrate God’s very special creation that he used to make us. Rudyard Kipling said “God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers”. And with mothers came selfless love; care; affection; guidance; wisdom; shelter from the stormy blasts of life; safe haven from the trials and tribulations of existence; and hands on training in the basics of resilient, sustainable living.

Every day, I am privileged to say thank God for a mother like mine, for the love of Josette Michael so pure and divine. Our teacher, our coach, our manager, our friend… our protector who lovingly safeguards her children in all situations. Incomparable in her selflessness, she gave us the grounding of good human beings driven to use our talents and capabilities for the betterment of humanity at home and abroad.

And as sure as the sun shines, you feel the same way about a mother like yours – blessed with patience, tenderness, courage and strength to care unconditionally for her family.

For standing by us in good times and bad times; for truths that make us free; for the joys they bring; for the wrongs they right; for the worthwhile dreams they made our reality; we remain forever in the debt of our mothers. We love them. We adore them. We honor them. We give thanks and praise for them. We are what we are because of our mothers and YES, because of the Mr. Moms – the fathers who dutifully step up to the plate and accept the role of mothers who are separated from their children for one reason or another.

I salute  the Mothers of Antigua and Barbuda, especially the mothers of the St Peters constituency, for the love and devotion with which they champion our growth and development – constantly lifting us up; inclining our hearts to the word of God; picking us up when we stumble and fall; and always inspiring us to be the best and to keep climbing the ladders of success.

In these unusual times of being alone together as we follow the social and physical distancing protocols engaged to contain the spread of the deadly COVID 19 pandemic, honoring God’s wonderful gift of Mother, is especially important.

We give thanks for the mothers, young and old, across the full range of responsibilities, on the frontlines of this fight to save lives and free us from the grip of this disease here in Antigua and Barbuda and around the world. We pray the blessings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on their lives and their work to strengthen their courage to persevere and their faithfulness in the sacredness of service to God and country.

To the world they are our mothers, but to us our mothers are the world!

Happy Mother’s Day 2020 to the wonderful mothers of St Peters and across the length and breadth of Antigua and Barbuda.