By: Mary Lou Reece

Scott and I were fortunate enough to have had compassionate, strong mothers who loved and cared deeply about our families and faith. They modeled a life well lived. We count it among our blessings to have that heritage and to be able to pass that down to the ones we love, not only on Mother’s Day, but every day!

I recognize the pain of Mother’s Day for many, and I pray alongside you if you have lost your Mom, as I have, or if you are trying to become a Mom, or if your own Mom was not a source of love and protection.

I love the image in Matthew 23:37, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.”  It’s such a lovely view of the care we want to give our children and really all the young people we come in contact with.  As you know, we do love ALL of God’s Children! And it is a privilege to be able to be a faithful model to all of the children in our lives.

As we celebrate mothers and all of the women role models we have on this holiday, I remember with a grateful heart the impact and influence my mother had in molding me into the woman that I am.  Happy Mother’s Day.

Mary Lou Reece has been married to Bishop Scott J. Jones since 1979 and is a business owner, mom and grandmother. She is President of Reece Construction Co., a family-owned business that builds bridges and other concrete structures for the highway system in Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. She was the first woman to serve on the board of directors of the Associated General Contractors of Texas and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Kansas Contractors Association. Mary Lou earned a B. A. in American Studies from the University of Kansas in 1977, and an M. B. A. from Southern Methodist University in 1978. She sees her work as part of her ministry.

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