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| courtesy of Sela Photography |
Moms come
with a variety of personalities, abilities, strengths and weaknesses. We have
stay at home moms, career moms, creative-artistic moms, logical-analytical
moms, moms who bake and others who buy readymade. Some moms love the Lord and
are compassionate and nurturing, others are gruff and distant. But every mom,
no matter how dysfunctional, is a blessing in some way or other. This Sunday is
a day to thank God for who they are and how they have blessed us—even
if only for the gift of life.
My mom was
not a stay at home, cookies and milk mom, but I remember experimenting with my
Easy Bake oven and chattering away at her while she made dinner. My mom was a well
educated, high powered career woman, and busy at church. But she was always
approachable when I needed to talk, and I had fun helping in her three year
old's Sunday school class as a teenager.
She didn’t
tell me I had to read the Bible every day, but she always tucked an
age-appropriate devotional into my Christmas stocking. When I was in high
school I began going to the family room where she read her Bible each morning. Her
example was one of JOY in the Word of God. So I started drinking coffee like her
and reading my Bible every day. Since she was a reference librarian and lover
of books, she always brought home other delightful books and magazines on
whatever each of us were interested in.
When I had
babies she didn’t ask to babysit or keep my girls overnight, but she always had
toys at her house—Fifi, the milk wagon, assorted books. She stopped by our
house often, and has developed relationships with each of her grandchildren,
loving and praying for them daily. Now she is also Mom to three son-in-laws and
her granddaughters’ husbands. She’s establishing relationships with great
grandchildren, and is “Mom” to a host of missionaries and others who look to
her for wisdom, prayer, and kindness.
There was a
time when I didn’t see or appreciate all this about her. I had a picture in my
head of what a mom should be. I selfishly wanted her at my beck and call, not
taking into account her passions, needs, and giftings. Now that I’m a mom and
grandma, I treasure all she is and all she’s poured into my life. She continues
to bless me and a growing throng of others. I’m grateful God gave me just the
right mom.
I’m also
grateful my daughters, sons in law, step kids, and grandchildren show
understanding and appreciation for who I am, not who they wish I was. I am free
to be myself—creative, quirky, a lover of God and nature, a bookworm, baker of
sweet treats, and a bit of a neat freak. Their acceptance frees me to love them to the
best of my abilities, even if they might sometimes wish I was a little more of
this, and a little less of that.
I encourage
you to shower love and appreciation on the moms in your life this Sunday, and
beyond. God created them to be one of a kind, unique, and beautiful. Tell them
what you love about them and how they have blessed and continue to bless your
life. So many of us have insecurities about all we are not; it’s wonderful to
hear some things we’ve done right.
Happy
Mother’s Day!
#mothersday
#appreciatingmom #whatkindofmom #iloveyoumom #whatsgoodaboutmothers
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