Mom

Well, tomorrow's the big day where everyone in the US will call and/or visit their mom, tell her they love her, and hopefully get them something good to eat, or look at or wear. I wanted to take a minute to tell you about the special Moms in my life.

First of all, I thank God for my mother who knew me from my first moments of life. She loved us all with a mother's love that only you moms out there can understand. Even though there were four of us, nobody was slighted on how she loved us. I'm sure we all gave her reason at one point or another, or maybe a hundred, to throw up her hands and give up, but she never did. She took special care of us from the beginning and my mom didn't stop with providing for us physically, but also spiritually in every way. My mom stayed home with us, even when getting a paying job would have been the much easier choice. She was always there when we got home from school and she always gave us a snack and made us do our homework before we watched TV. Thanks Mom! She took us to church without fail. She sang us songs and fed us good homecooked meals. She sat up with my sister through long nights of asthma attacks. Little did I know of her mother's heart that was afraid to leave her not knowing if she'd be OK if Mom wasn't there to watch her. She cleaned up puke and poop and pee without complaining. She often did without, so that we would have what we needed. She read us stories at night before we went to bed, sometimes she would even read two chapters if the story was especially good. Now I know how tired she was as she trudged through page after page. She made us clothes and special treats. She suffered through the month of chicken pox as they took down one after another of all four of her kids. She took us to Grandma's house and she never missed one of our ballgames or piano lessons. She made sure that we hid the word of God in our hearts and that we were equipped to handle the fiery darts of the evil one. She prayed for us when we weren't aware. She endured terrifying first time driving experiences. She handled scratches, and worse, to the family car. She directed pet funerals and other crises that are barely memorable now, but were the end of the world then. She was at all of our special events, recitals, Bible drills, graduations, weddings, first babies, appointment ceremonies and she always cheered the loudest for us to succeed. She guarded who we were friends with, who we spent time with, what we watched and where we were. Because of that, we steered clear of more trouble than we ever knew was there. There is so much more to say, but since I'm getting all soggy eyed, I'd better move on.

Secondly I thank God for the woman who loved and raised my husband. The Lord only knows the patience she has! Hee Hee, just kidding! Not only did she care for, pray for and nurture her boys into Godly young men, she even took the time to care for a kid like me. When I list people who have influenced me in my walk with my Savior, her name is always on the list. She loved her boys through all of their shenanigans. I know that she stayed up nights praying for their safe return and thanked the Lord when she heard the noises that said they'd come back safe and sound. She made afternoons for fishing and weekends for camping out. She made sugar cookies for Christmas and stuffed celery every Thanksgiving, knowing that her son loved those things. She made him homecooked meals and helped him through countless hours of homework and projects. She tolerated a house full of animals from cats and dogs to ferrets and sheep. She made it through an untold number of scout meetings and ball games. She helped her boys to spread their wings and make their own choices when she knew that she had instilled in them well the desire to please not merely their earthly parents, but their Heavenly Father. She raised a son that would follow God to the ends of the earth if so called. She showed him what it meant to lay down his life for his wife and kids. She's made her daughters-in-law proud to call her an in-law and to know that we are much more than that!

I could never leave out my grandmothers even though this isn't grandparents day. My grandmothers brought up kids that loved the Lord and wanted their children to follow Him as well. I have so many snatches of things that I love to remember. There were weiner roasts, watermelons, beach days, doodle bug hunting, favorite bed time stories, morning walks, hanging out clothes, and "helping" in the garden. Their were countless nights of laying on the kitchen floor just listening to them talk and wishing there was never any other place to be. There was music camp and VBS and weekend trips while Mom and Dad were away. There were cats named Cat and dogs named Puppy, Christmas mornings and lazy summer afternoons. There were lemonade cakes, homemade ice cream, baked apples, blueberries straight from the bush, and 3 waffle Tuesdays! There were visits to old relatives I didn't really know, but whom I loved to hear stories about who they were and all they'd done. Grandma always understood, she always had a piece of candy or a special treat, and she always believed that you were the wonderful kid you were even when nobody else could see it. Grandma's just have that special way of seeing your potential.

So for all the blessings God has granted me of mothers and grandmothers, I pray that he blesses me with even a fraction of the ability to do as they've done for me. May they be proud to call be theirs and may my children be as blessed as I have been. Thanks Mom, McMom, Grandma F and Grandma P. I love you!

Heather