I don’t know why but I woke up yesterday morning extra excited
about mother’s day--just a little extra pep in my step if you know what I mean.
I even sported the dangly earrings. And I
can’t really pinpoint why. Maybe it’s because I’m a Mother’s Day veteran had
having it celebrated for me a whopping 1 ½ times before--the half accounting
for when I was preggo--so I knew all the goodies that were coming my way. Or maybe
it’s because my mom is cancer free and chemo updates are no longer a part of
holiday conversations. Or maybe it’s because the arrival of my daughter,
(oops!) I mean my niece, is just around the corner and for me she comes pain-free
(sorry sis). Whatever it was I’m just
glad…. it was.
Interesting enough, that extra pep brought me into deep
thought about 5 minutes after my delicious waffle & strawberry breakfast--made
special just for me by my loving Mitchell. I’ve pondered maybe a million times of what kind of mother I will be. I
think there are two perceptions of the type of mother a woman is. There is a.) The
type she thinks she is, and there is b.) The type her grown adult children
think she is. And being the mother expert that I am (with a whole 19 months
under my belt) I believe the latter is the actual truth. (But this is only true
when the children are adults and not idiots themselves. This theory definitely
doesn’t work during adolescent years.)
So what type of mother will I be? Of course I want to be
creative and crafty for them when they are young, and then fun and hip when
they are older. But at the same time still their mama with discipline and wise
Biblical words. But I know myself and my limitations. I’m not crafty. I’m
definitely not hip. Not too quick at memorizing scripture either.
But still over the next 60 years I hope I overhear my
children say things like…
“My mom is so much fun.”
“My mom has the best ideas.”
“My mom is so cool.”
“My mom is the best cook.”
“My mom gives the best hugs”
“My mom has the best advice.”
“My mom is a really strong woman.”
“My mom is really close to God.”
“My mom is really in love with my dad.”
“My mom really loves me.”
I guess I can’t predict what my children will say or think
about me. But I know what I’m called to do as a mother...
Something cool started this week. I’m not really a “let’s
sit at the table for dinner every night” type of mama. I’m more like a “let’s
sit at the table when I feel like cleaning it off” type. This week that feeling
came about 3 times. But it doesn’t matter where we have dinner, we always pray
before we eat. This week while we all sat closely at the table little mister
wanted to pray too. I didn’t even notice that he was watching us pray. Guess he’s
been watching us every night for 19 months and just now decided to join in. And
when we were done he joined us with a super quiet Amen. This touched my heart like nothing else. Just realizing more that he’s watching
everything thing we do and everything we are. Gosh! Just typing that last
sentence out makes me want to be the best person I could be.
 |
| I quietly shot a few iPhone pics the 2nd time he prayed with us. |
So greater than being hip and crafty I have a responsibility
to teach my son about Jesus--to show him who God is, how He loves him, how to
learn more about Him, how to honor Him, and ultimately how to show His love to
others. Can I get an Amen!?!
And I don’t think I’ll have a problem figuring out how I’m
going to teach him all of that. I have
wonderful mothers in my life who have taught me so much and continue to teach
me every day. And I know they will be by my side as Mitchell and I raise our
children. Amen!
So I figured it out by the end of the day what the extra pep
was all about. It wasn’t about me or my amazing time as a mother—short as may
be. It was about all the great moms I have in my life and celebrating them. It
was the excitement of watching them open gifts and smother my baby with
sweet kisses. It was the anticipation of celebrating motherhood with my sister
as she is just about to embark on the greatest journey of her life.
And it was about that sweet moment I hugged my healthy, cancer-free mom and told
her, “I’m just now starting to understand how much you love me.”
Amen
Some pictures from Mother's day at Aunt Mema's house. (Bummed I didn't get out the camera at Grandma & Papa Cochran's--next time!)
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