For my Moms

As is typical, my Mother's Day post comes days after Mother's Day. Those of you who are on Facebook no doubt read countless posts about other people's mothers. Perhaps you posted something about your mom yourself. My Mother's Day post was about my sweet Caroline, in tears, over the fact that her doll baby wouldn't take a human pacifier.

 

She actually wiped her eyes with the bottom of her dress. It was hilarious yet so true to how many of us feel as moms at times, even if we don't express those feelings in the same way.

First of all, I must say, I have a great mom. What was really cool to me as I read through my news feed on Facebook on Sunday was how so many people feel that they have the best mom ever. True, not everyone did, in fact, some stories were heartbreaking, but for the most part, moms are doing a better job than they think they are.

My church's monthly newsletter asked several people to write one thing their mom taught them. I was one of the lucky people who got to write about their mother. I thought I would share with all of you dear people what I learned from my mother. (Also, I generally call her mother when I'm irritated with her - a fact that I didn't know until she pointed it out to me in my early 20s -from here on out I'll refer to her as "mom".)

My mom is good at many things, but not everything. She is human. She is beautiful, and funny, and strong. My mom started running 5ks at age 58. She is wonderful and inspiring. She is not perfect, but she tries hard.

Mom and me at BCF Group's Christmas dinner

 One thing my mom has taught me is how to have faith. There were many times growing up when I knew finances were tight. We did not have any money, in fact, I'm pretty sure we were in debt. My mom always believed that we would make it. I've mentioned before that I love to journal. I just looked back and read some journal entries from my time away at college. I was in Jackson, Mississippi, studying at Jackson State University, and my parents were separating. It was an emotional time, for sure. I would talk to my mom on the phone every couple of days. She had been telling me of how badly she needed money. I had written prayers out in this journal. I had only truly professed Christ about 9 months before this time. The prayers I had written seemed so incredibly bold. But I believed them. Several days from that original prayer, I wrote an answered prayer. (I know some disagree about playing the lottery, and I'm not exactly sure how this 50/50 game works, but please, bear with me here). My mom won $700 in this 50/50 at her job. It was a big deal. It was a building block in my own faith. 

Mom and baby me (1985 - we had cool hair)

 This lesson and several others have served me so well as I have gone through many different trials in my adult life. Financial hardships early in our marriage, emotional hardships with a difficult pregnancy, having the faith that God knows what He is doing through our foster care experience, and more. So thanks, mom, for showing me through your life, that God is faithful, He is good, and He knows our needs.

There are probably thousands of jokes about mothers-in-law. Here is one:

David is finally engaged and is excited to show off his new bride. "Ma," he says to his mother, "I'm going to bring home three girls and I want you to guess which one is my fiance." 

Twenty minutes later, David walks in the door with three girls behind him. "It's that one," said his mother without blinking an eye. 

"Holy cow," exclaimed David, "How did you know?" 

"I just don't like her," she replied.

So David Is finally engaged, and is excited to show off his new bride. “Ma”, he said to his Mother, “I’m going to bring home three girls and I want you to guess which one is my fiance.” Sure enough twenty minutes later, David walks in the door with three girls following behind him. “It’s that one”, said his mother, without blinking an eye. “Holy cow”, exclaimed David, “how in the world did you know it was her?” “I just don’t like her”, she replied.

Read more at:

So David Is finally engaged, and is excited to show off his new bride. “Ma”, he said to his Mother, “I’m going to bring home three girls and I want you to guess which one is my fiance.” Sure enough twenty minutes later, David walks in the door with three girls following behind him. “It’s that one”, said his mother, without blinking an eye. “Holy cow”, exclaimed David, “how in the world did you know it was her?” “I just don’t like her”, she replied.

Read more at:

I didn't have grandparents living in the same state growing up, so I had very limited experience with seeing my parents interact with their in-laws. I don't have a single memory of my dad interacting with my mom's parents. And I know that my mom still has a good relationship with my dad's mom, even though my parents are now divorced. 

I am so very grateful for my mother-in-law. Our relationship has certainly grown in the nearly ten years that Trent and I have been married. I really have to give her credit for that. Every Wednesday my mother-in-law feeds my family. She invites us to her home, and makes food for us. I'll be honest, when we were first married it sometimes felt like more of a burden than a blessing. I didn't necessarily want to spend an evening with my in-laws every week. I grew up in a family who talks a lot. Before, during and after we eat we talk. Trent's family reads the newspaper. It was an adjustment. And then we started having babies. And some days those Wednesdays were hard, because my babies like routines and schedules, and that often included an early bedtime. But we went, and they loved on our kids. And  my mother-in-law makes food and dessert and reads to my kids. They have tea parties, and she surprises them with little additions to her toy area (a new hat, clip on jewelry, etc.). 

Tea party

 I have come to cherish our talks after dinner, when the kids are sent to play and she cleans up some dishes and I wipe the table. Our whole family looks forward to Wednesday nights with the Hesses. We hold tightly to those days and skip out on extracurricular things (like AWANA, Bible School, and anything else that happens to meet on Wednesday nights). I know preparing food for our gang might not be her favorite thing to do (especially because it's pretty much guaranteed that at least one child won't eat whatever she prepares), but I do appreciate it. And let's be honest, not having to prepare food once a week is a HUGE blessing to me!

My mother-in-law, Maggie, Anne, Me, Abbey, and my sister-in-law Sarah on Easter.

So thanks, to both my moms. Great job raising Trent, Maw. Great job raising me, mom. I hope that I can continue to learn from both of you for years to come.

So David Is finally engaged, and is excited to show off his new bride. “Ma”, he said to his Mother, “I’m going to bring home three girls and I want you to guess which one is my fiance.” Sure enough twenty minutes later, David walks in the door with three girls following behind him. “It’s that one”, said his mother, without blinking an eye. “Holy cow”, exclaimed David, “how in the world did you know it was her?” “I just don’t like her”, she replied.

Read more at:

So David Is finally engaged, and is excited to show off his new bride. “Ma”, he said to his Mother, “I’m going to bring home three girls and I want you to guess which one is my fiance.” Sure enough twenty minutes later, David walks in the door with three girls following behind him. “It’s that one”, said his mother, without blinking an eye. “Holy cow”, exclaimed David, “how in the world did you know it was her?” “I just don’t like her”, she replied.

Read more