Mother's Day Post (Finished Late)

Sometimes I think I know the most incredible moms in the world. Young moms and old ones, moms with grown children and moms at heart who are waiting for God to send them children, moms of a few and moms of a crew, and I see so much to admire and love. Just a few years ago most of us were daughters and wives celebrating our moms and grandmothers on this special day. Today we are moms being celebrated. Of course today will always be first about my own mother. Words cannot express the gratitude I feel for her and everything she gave to me. She was a mom who laid down her life for the calling God gave her to raise her family. I have never heard her question anything she has had to sacrifice in order to be the full-on mom she has always been. She has been my mother, teacher, coach, friend, counselor, comforter, driver, encourager, and the list goes on and on. I would not be the woman I am or the wife and mother I am without God's work through her. My mother-in-law has also been every one of these things for my husband and now for me. I couldn't possibly express how I feel about the way she raised her son! He knows how to treat a woman and I think much of the credit for that goes to her!

Next this holiday is about my grandmothers. I have two amazing ones of my own, one incredible woman I adopted years ago as my other grandmother, and I have had the rare opportunity of knowing and loving both of my husband's grandmothers as well! My grandmothers are the "bake-your-favorite-cake-and-leave-out-the-nuts-because-you-don't-like-them" kind of grandmothers. The kind who never play favorites but treat us all as equally special, the kind that think you are the smartest, best grandchildren anyone ever had. My grandmothers can make a friend anywhere, talk to anyone, and I am always extremely proud to introduce them to anyone, anywhere as being "mine." My "adopted" grandmother is a woman of God who has blessed countless girls with her talents and wisdom. Any time I sew or use any of the creative abilities she taught me, I think of how much of her is woven into who I am today.

I have admired so many of my friends' moms growing up. Moms of a dozen children, moms who successfully run households on the most limited of budgets, moms left to raise families alone, moms who have educated multiple children from preschool to high school, moms who have battled exhausting illnesses in their families, and again I could go on and on.

I think one thought that is new to me this Mother's Day is how it now makes me think of my own friends. I think of Shelly and her courage to follow God to new places as a mom, places she never thought she would go, facing illness and change with a faith that is astounding. I think of Christine truly giving part of her life to be a mom as she survives a physical, emotional, and spiritual battle to bring babies into the world. I think of Julia and her quiet, strong, loving, consistent discipline that I think of so often when disciplining my own child. I think of my Brittany and her mother heart being mostly here with Kyndall but with a little piece already moved on to Heaven with Benjamin. I think of Chesley and her open heart, always ready to learn, always striving to find ways to be a better mom, fully engaged at all times in loving and raising her son. I think of Katelyn and how she has been asked to have so much patience in this journey of motherhood when everyone around her seems to be in a different place. My list could go on and on and on. If you're not on here and you're a mom, I promise I have something about you that makes me feel the same way! Do I not know the most incredible moms ever? So, Happy Belated Mother's Day to the best moms in the world! I am humbled and blessed to be your friend.