I've been a mother for two and a half years now - I realize this makes me quite the expert. Ha! While this year was not my first Mother's Day, it was certainly my first as a mommy of two. This year I realized something: I am much more aware of how blessed I am to have such an amazing mother and a wonderful mother-in-law. God bless them both for all that they constantly do for us and our families!
My mom is more than just my mom - she is a wonderful wife to my Dad, an amazing sister, a selfless daughter, a humble leader at her church, and a loving teacher at her school. Some qualities I love about my mom include:
She sees the good in me and reminds me of that when I tend to focus on my flaws.
She is selfless with her time - she spends many hours taking care of other people, putting their needs above her own. Not only did she take care of her father for many years, she is constantly tending to one of us or our kids. She keeps Lily after school, which is probably Lily's favorite thing about going to school all together. But what has made the biggest impact on me was after the birth of each of our daughters. My mom took a week off of work and dedicated it to us. She managed to be at my side at the hospital, while still taking care of our sweet Ella. We came home to a clean house, a happy two year old, and a Grammie ready to help. This adjustment would have been so much harder on Ella if not for my mom. She spent countless hours playing with her in "her new room," giving her all the attention she needed. And Grammie still managed to take care of me as I recovered from my c-section, help with Gracie, AND get up with Gracie and I in the middle of the night, ALL night. And she did it all with a smile and a joyful spirit - I don't know how she does it, but I'm thankful still.
She praises us - she tells me often that I'm a good mother. This is something I value so much, because, like every first time mom, I sometimes doubt that.
She loves our babies and makes special time for them. This means the world to me.
She is one of my very best friends. I will always cherish the countless hours that my mom, sisters, and I have spent talking about everything from deep life issues to the silly issues we have, and everything in between. Some moments end in hugs and some end in more than one of us running to the bathroom because we are laughing so hard.
She gave me two precious sisters, also my very best friends. She taught us that having sisters is one of God's greatest blessings. You see, she also has the greatest sisters ever. I love to see my mom and her sisters having a good time together. I especially love when we all get to have "girls weekend" together. These ladies are so special to me and I am thankful that my mom taught us how to be a good sister.
But probably the thing I love and respect most about my mother is her habit of rising early to spend time with the Lord. If there is one trait that I want to copy from my mom, it would be her heart for God and her love for His word. I will always treasure the memories of waking up early in the morning to find my mom curled up with her Bible. Even at a young age, this was etched in my heart - when something is important to you, you make time for it. And reading God's Word is very important to my mom. So important that she begins her day that way. I want my girls to find me doing the same. I have a long way to go though. You see, I am not a morning person - at all. Just ask Nolan. He says that I can be a bit grumpy in the morning. I know nothing about this (but I do know that he's awfully loud when I'm sleeping so I wouldn't be the least bit surprised. ;-) In the past, when I've tried waking up to read, I fall asleep reading. Not good at all. I used to set an alarm but never even make it out of bed. For the past three months, I haven't even set an alarm. Gracie takes care of waking me up early enough, so waking up before my girls to read is not an easy feat. So, like I said, I have a long way to go. But at least I have a good role model.
Mom, I love you dearly and am so thankful for the woman that you are. I treasure the time that I get to spend with you and am blessed to watch you love our girls.
I am also one of those lucky women who has a wonderful mother-in-law. She has welcomed me into her family and loved me as her own daughter since day one.
I love many things about my mother-in-law, Heidi. My favorite has to be how excited she gets when she sees her grand babies. When Ella was a little baby, it would always startle her, but now, the excitement is mutual and I must say, it's pretty special to witness. There is no doubt that she loves these girls so much.
Heidi is also a very selfless woman. For as long as I've known her, she has always put others first. She welcomes anyone into her home, taking care of each as though her own. I've watched her care for her parents, her friends, and many family members with such a joyful attitude.
Probably the trait I envy the most is that Heidi is a "do-er," a finisher. I am not. No doubt about this. I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum. I'm a great starter. I get these wonderful ideas and go get all the stuff to make it and start out so enthusiastically. And then for some reason or another, I never finish. Nine times out of ten its because it was a whole lot harder than I expected, or far above my level of expertise. I'm embarrassed to say how many of my ambitious projects that she has had to finish for me. There's Ella's 1st birthday banner, Ella's big sister shirt, the curtain in Gracie's room, and so many more. Not to mention the many things she always does around our house on the
days that I work. I will come home to find some random task, that I have
put off doing for months, done - replacing an AC vent, a light bulb,
organizing a cabinet - I'm a procrastinator. Heidi gets things done.
And then there are the curtains in our living room - a true piece of art. They deserve their own paragraph. Heidi is an expert curtain maker. I'm an expert pattern buyer. I was looking for curtains for our living room and couldn't find anything I liked in my price range. So I found a website that sold beautiful draperies - they were $300 a panel! It's a good thing they sold the pattern to make them. They claimed this project was for beginners. I being the naive and ambitious girl that I am (bad combo by the way), decided that I was indeed a beginner and could likely figure it out. What I didn't consider was that I didn't even know how to load the bobbin in my sewing machine. (I'm certain that isn't even the correct terminology - see how "beginner" I am.) I also didn't consider that I had never sewed anything before. And yet somehow I thought I could sew floor to ceiling silk drapes for my windows, complete with fancy "tassel-y" things. But Heidi knew better. Somehow she managed to offer to sew these for me without ever making me feel like I was completely silly for even thinking I could do this. It wasn't until they were all done and I had a few other failed sewing projects under my belt that I realized the hard work and detail these curtains required. I don't even know how many hours she spent working on these things. They are absolutely beautiful and I am so thankful that she worked so hard to make these for me. Oh, not only did she make the curtains for me, but she also came over and helped me install the curtain rods and hang the curtains. I know, I know, do something for yourself right! Seriously, she is wonderful.
Heidi is also a woman who loves the Lord something fierce. She studies the word so diligently and believes with all of her heart that she will see the ones she loves come to know Jesus. God has rewarded her faith with several very special salvation stories. I admire her faith very much. She isn't one to preach at anyone, yet she shares what she believes with such love, gentleness, and kindness that others gladly listen to her. She models her faith with her life, and this speaks louder than any sermon.
But the thing I am most thankful for (even more than the curtains!) is the man that Heidi raised. When God brought Nolan into my life, I knew he was one of the rare special ones. A man who actually knew how to treat a girl in a way that made her feel like a lady. He is so good to me in so many ways. He takes care of his girls and does whatever he feels is necessary to provide for and protect us. You don't have to know my husband for very long to know that he has a good Momma! In fact, when we were in the hospital with Gracie, we had one particular nurse who actually sought Heidi out and told her what a good job she did in raising him. So, I don't think I've said this often enough, but thank you for raising such a wonderful son. For showing him how to love his wife and his daughters. This is one thing that I can never thank you enough for.
I realize that I am a lucky woman, a very BLESSED woman. Not only did I get the privilege to grow up with an amazing Mom, I married a man who has a wonderful mother. I have two very special ladies in my life. Two wonderful examples of how to love the Lord above all else, how to love your husband, how to raise your children, how to serve your family, and how to love your friends.
Happy Mother's Day to you both. May you feel as special today as you both make me feel every day. I love you both very much.
And Happy Mother's Day to all the other special moms in my life...
For the woman who savors a backwards letter in childlike scrawl
and
secretly hopes “liberry” and “strawbabies” will never be pronounced
correctly …
For the woman who crawls on achy knees into her child’s tiny bunk bed to read stories and inhale his just-bathed scent …
For the woman who would prefer a dandelion bouquet carried in a dirt-filled palm over a dozen red roses in a crystal vase …
For the woman who cries at the sight of her child and cannot explain why …
For the woman who feels her awkward bulges and morning breath slowly
dissipate when a cherub voice says, “You’re so pretty, Mama” …
For the woman who is never at a loss for words when it comes to defending her child …
For the woman whose babies will never, ever become too heavy to carry …
