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All I ever wanted to be . . .

by Traute Klein, biogardener

All I ever wanted to be was a mother, because I was inspired by the best mother in the world, my own. Here is my Mother's Day tribute to her shining example.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers reading this article, to all the men who are fulfilling the role of mothers in their families, and to all the men and women who are extending healing hugs to hurting children!

All I ever wanted to be . . .

My first ambition in life was to be like the woman whom I admired most, my mother. I played with my doll as though she was a real baby. When I was 5 years old and my mother was expecting another baby, she spent time every day preparing me for the new addition to our family. That task was not difficult considering that all I ever wanted to be was a mother. How excited I was that I would finally get my wish for a real baby!

When people asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I would announce, "a baby." In my childlike faith, I was convinced that I would get that wish, and I did. When I woke up on my 6th birthday, March 16, 1941, a bright Sunday morning, I was taken to see my present sleeping in his basket.

I spent every possible minute looking after my brother Hans. He was a rather bright child and learned to manipulate people, but he never tried to con me, although it took 35 years before he admitted it. It was impossible to deceive each other when we could always read each other's minds.

Life's Calling

As I approached the end of high school, I had no idea what I was going to do with my life. I had been mothering my younger siblings since I was 6 years old. When we came to Canada and my mother had to take on an outside job to make ends meet, I took over the role of mother much of the day. That's all I knew how to do, to be a mother.

That did not prepare me for earning a living. The other students in my grade XII homeroom knew what to do the following year. Everyone had been accepted at university, at teacher's college, at a hospital, or by some business. Everyone except me. Not that I was worried about it. I trusted God to provide the necessary guidance when the time came, and he did.

Close to the end of the school year, I attended a Sunday evening young people's meeting. A missionary showed us slides of the school on an Indian reserve in which she was teaching, and as I watched her presentation, I received my guidance. Without a shadow of a doubt, I knew that I was called to be a teacher.

The realization came as a surprise to me. The thought of teaching had never rossed my mind before. When I shared my calling with my childhood friends, they confided in me that they had always looked at me as a future teacher, because I had acted like one for as long as they had known me.

Newsworthy Calling

Without mentioning a word to my family, I talked to my principal on Monday morning. With his recommendation, even though the deadline for application to the teacher training program was long past, I was accepted. My participation in the program was a news item in the province, because I was to become the first ever non-Canadian to graduate as a teacher in Manitoba.

Mothering Teacher

I did not find it difficult to combine my desire to be a mother with the calling to be a teacher. I have been a mother to the many children and adults whom I have taught. Many of them, children and adults alike, called me mom repeatedly without being aware of it.

I never got to teach on an Indian reserve, even though that appeared to be where my calling would lead me. My birthday present brother Hans, though, taught on Indian reserves in various Canadian provinces throughout his career. Could it be that the two of us are really twins, as I jokingly like to say, and that we share the calling? I do know that he was also much loved by his pupils. They have told me so. He, too, has a mother's heart.

All I ever want to be . . .

Now that I am no longer teaching school or university, all I want to be is a mother to all the hurting people whom I meet, to all the hurting readers who come across my writing on the Internet. My mother's example lead me on this life path, and I am happy whenever one of the children and adults whom I have been able to teach also aspires to being mother to the people within his or her sphere of influence. We share the calling to show love to the children and adults whom we meet. All need guidance, all need reassurance, all are hurting, all need a healing hug.

And no, you do not have to be female to have a mother heart! My twin brother Hans is a good example of that.

More Mother's Day Stories

My Mother, the Greatest Inspiration of My Life
My mother was the greatest inspiration of my life. Her faith and love shaped my character. After suffering from Alzheimer's for 30 years, she has finally been delivered from her suffering, but her legacy of love lives on.

Breastfeeding Family Hour

Breastfeeding hour is the perfect time to focus on the older children while giving loving nourishment to the baby. It forges strong sibling bonds.

Deliverance from Addiction

My brother Hans became addicted to hard drugs after plastic surgery at age 6. He was set free after he hit rock bottom and reached out for help, and through spiritual commitment he has stayed free of drugs for 30 years.