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Tribute to our moms: The real MVPs of our lives

Dan Stickradt | May 11, 2014 | Comments (0)

It was kind of fitting that when Kevin Durant was named the National Basketball Association MVP for 2013-14 this past week, he spent plenty of time on record thanking his mom, Wanda Pratt, for helping, teaching and guiding him to where his is today.

The Oklahoma City Thunder star wasn’t glorifying himself and putting his talents on the pedestal like so many other gifted athletes of this day. He was praising the one who helped mold his life.

This all came less than a week before Mother’s Day. It couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time.

While sometimes we take for granted our moms or what Mother’s Day is all about — for some it’s just another day to hand out a Hallmark card — it is at other times that we glance at the blessings our mom has given each of us and we search for ways to thank them.

Perhaps in your life or my own, mom was there more than a thousand ways, in the foreground or in the background. In the past or just today.

She was there to feed you as a newborn or there to walk you to the bus stop on the first day of kindergarten, then left waving as you rode off peeking out of the window of the school bus. Remember that bad scratch on your knee, the strawberry burn that you thought was the most painful injury in the world? Mom was there to clean it all up, place the Band-Aid on the wound as kiss it to make it feel better.

She was there to drive you to soccer practice or little league, or to make sure you got to Sunday School on time or to a dance recital, music lessons, Cub Scouts and Brownies. And when she wasn’t the one driving, it was usually another super mom car-pooling kids from around the sub to the various destinations.

After all, we all had so many places to go and if we had siblings and friends, destinations were often in opposite directions.

She was there to put your clothes out for the next day of school, or to make dinner for you after a long day. Shortly afterwards, she was there clean up for everyone only having to spend time with you helping with homework or a major school project.

She was there when you had to get to driver’s education or to get ready for the school dance. She was the one in the bleachers cheering for you and your teammates to score a goal or to record the final out. She was in the audience handling the video or camcorder as you danced or performed on the stage.

She threw birthday parties and graduation celebrations, made cakes and cookies and countless casserole dishes. She stayed up really late on Christmas Eve wrapping presents, or was there to hand-sew your Halloween costume that you proudly paraded around your school and neighborhood.

By the way, she probably had a part-time or full-time job, or in some cases, jobs. Yet she still found time to wear an invisible cape, be in two places at once and able to rush to your aid in a moment’s notice.

She took you to the mall and made sure you had those “cool” shoes or jeans, even if the money wasn’t there, or dropped you and your friends off at the movies (were you really going to the movies?). She was a shoulder to cry on when a significant other broke your heart or the one you crushed on turned you down.

Even as adults, she is there today, helping out any way she can.

She helps watch your kids and cook holiday meals. She’s there to offer advice, or to let you move home after the loss of a job or following a divorce. She’s there to watch the grandkids or to assist you in getting back on your feet.

The most amazing thing about all of this is that moms do all of this rarely or never asking for a reward, regardless of how old you are. Moms never stop being a parent, at age 28 or 76 years of age. Even after they leave this world, their impression will be engraved into your life to stand the test of time.

If you think about, is there anyone that God brought into your life that has done more for you, providing unconditional love and self-sacrifice? From your birth to the current day, she is there for you: Your mom.

Guessing that Kevin Durant had it right by calling his mom his MVP, or in this case, his MVM. She is mine, as I’m sure your mom holds the same honor for you.

Take a moment to let her know if you can. Don’t take her for granted.

(Dan Stickradt is senior editor of digital daily www.northoaklandsprots.com and The Real Deal sports magazine. He can be reached at (248) 884-1051 or dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com. Follow on Twitter @LocalSportsFans or on multiple social media platforms.)