Happy Mom’s Day

Well, I just figured out how to put photos in my blog!  So I’m warning you ahead of time…don’t be surprised if I get overly photo happy in the future!

Happy Mother’s Day to ALL the Mom’s out there!  And lots of love.

I’m going to brag on my TWO awesome Mom’s before the day is over.  So here we go…

  This photo is a little bit old…from last June.  But I love it, somehow.  Today was weird for me in a good way.  It was one of the first holidays in awhile during which I didn’t feel overwhelming pain.  I was able to put together an extremely sincere card for my Mom.  We all had a nice dinner (minus my little sister slicing her finger by accident!).  Mom loved our gifts.  We didn’t really fight with each other (I’m talking siblings here) and our arguing didn’t mess up her special day, as we usually manage to do.  All went well.  It was fun.  It was relaxing.  It was beautiful.  She is beautiful.

I couldn’t possibly go into enough detail in one post to portray how truly awesome my Mom is.  She raised me in a strong Christian home and in an environment one might call “overprotective.”  But now that I’m older, I’m able to see that the decisions she made on my behalf made me who I am.  I didn’t watch normal kids show.  I watched videos filled with bible stories and morality.  We didn’t celebrate Halloween.  We celebrated Harvest.  (This changed somewhat as I got into elementary school).  She whipped out big bucks for me to attend Christian school, even though I ended up in public school later on.  She had a daycare in our home, so she was able to teach me educational and faith concepts at an early age.  I was able to have “friends over” every day and have my Mom there too.  And yet, she was still making money to support us, while doing it.  It was win win.   

She is so selfless.  She has put out tons of money for me to go on various trips for sports, camps, other competitions, conferences…the list goes on.  And it’s not about money, but it proves her heart.  She gives and gives. 

I scrapbooked today so I sort of went down memory lane.  And I just had this huge peace in me as I re-experienced my childhood…and her love.  She’s always been there.  I am not blaming myself, because I’m in the process of healing, but it is my own struggles that have kept me from accepting her love.  I trust after today that we will get there.  For now, I’m just really okay with things.

    And this?  This is my other beautiful Mom, who, at 17, sought something better for me than she could provide at the time.  Whether she realizes it or not, she stepped out in faith hoping more than anything that good would come out of her decisions.  She didn’t get to choose my parents.  She never met them.  She had no idea who I would be going to or where I would be living.  And I really view that chance she took as a miracle.  Not because things did turn out in a good way, but simply because she did it.

Don’t get me wrong.  I miss her today.  I have fought the urge a million times to call her today, even though we just talked last night.  I know she is busy with her own family and their plans for the holiday.  I know she wasn’t even home for most of the day, so I wouldn’t have reached her anyway.  I know my little sisters and her husband were planning to make her breakfast in bed.  I’m sure they made her cards from little hands with purple crayon.  I hope they love her like I do, they love her as much as she needs them to, since I can’t be there.  But I’m with her in our hearts.  And I think she knows that.  In fact, I know she knows that.

I think I’ll sleep well tonight.