What’s a mom’s worth? What does a mom look like? What makes a good mom?

These are all questions that I have pondered when sitting down to write this article. I know that every mom is different and all moms have different talents and character traits, but I am going to specifically highlight a part of my Mom’s worth. I am sure you will find many of the same traits in your mom.

My Mom was born Beverly Ann Emery. She is the youngest of seven children that were born to Harry and Marie Emery of the Sugar Tree Ridge area. They were lifelong members of the Sugar Tree Ridge Church of Christ, and my grandfather Harry drove a bus and was a janitor for the Concord Elementary school for years. My grandmother Marie was the best cook around, of course, until my Mom graduated from the School of Marie’s cooking.

It is pretty likely that if you have lived in Highland County for very long, and specifically from the Hillsboro area and to the south, you have probably eaten one of my Mom’s baked goods.

Mom has many specialties when it comes to cooking. She has made countless wedding cakes for people here in Highland County, including my wedding cake in 1996. She even hand-painted the bridesmaids’ dresses that were positioned on the stairways leading up to the top cake that went over the fountain. Yes, you heard that right, our cake had a fountain and two stairways. She also makes the best homemade donuts, pies, cinnamon rolls, yeast rolls, decorated cakes and cookies. She has been an approximate 53-year contributor to the Buford Farmer’s Institute. To this day, she doesn’t like to go to the institute because, in her words, she doesn’t bake the items for self -recognition, but she does it for a cause she believes in. Just recently, Mom was given an award by SATH and Linda Allen. She chose not to go to the event, because the reason she was recognized was for the benefit of the kids, and not for an award. Wow, I think the world could use some of this mom’s traits, don’t you?

Here are just a few traits I see in my Mom.

Loving — My Mom pours out her love through food. Can you tell she was raised on a farm with southern roots? I wouldn’t even be able to begin to tell you how many times she has made baked goods for families who have lost loved ones or who are just going through a tough stretch.

Stubbornness — I think this is a must quality for a mom of six children. When God made the mother I am sure he knew the grief she was going to have to endure so He added stubbornness to the recipe. As I think back in my childhood, I can’t even imagine what my mother dealt with. To just briefly describe her grief, at one point in time there were four of us boys in one bedroom. That is just pain, and through it all Mom’s stubbornness and love has stood the test of time.

Faithfulness — Without a doubt, my Mom is faithful. She is faithful in all aspects of life. She has been faithful to her Lord and Savior, faithful to her family, faithful to her friends, and even though she has felt her share of loss in life, she has remained steadfast. I am reminded of a movie that came out in 1996 by the name of “Jerry Maguire.” In the movie Tom Cruise was the sports agent of a football player who was played by Cuba Gooding Jr. His character emotionally calls Cruise his “Ambassador of Quan.” Quan is a created word from the movie and I think it means completeness in life through a love relationship, family as a whole, enjoyment of one’s work, and financial security.

So, I would like to call my Mom my Ambassador of Faithfulness.

Giving —My Mom gives even when she shouldn’t. I think this embodies most mothers. She gives of herself even to the point of emptiness. She not only raised one awesome child (and five pretty decent children), but she has had a hand in raising all 14 of her grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. While I can’t fully explain what being a mom is like, I can tell you I have had a great front row seat to see how it is accomplished. I have been witness to my Mom’s ability to sacrifice for others. I have also seen motherhood first-hand through my wife, Becky. We have four children together, and I saw first-hand the “glow” that people talk about with a pregnant woman. Do you know what I think that “glow” is? My personal belief is that “glow” is God. God is working that recipe to perfection inside the mom.

There is no way we can list all of the qualities of a great mom, because simply they are endless. I know one thing for sure about my Mom. When the day comes for the good Lord to call her home, I know that this verse will complete her role as a mother here on earth: 2 Timothy 4:7 — “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

What is a mom’s worth? All of the above, and then some.

Chad E. McConnaughey is the Highland County recorder.