I know I am a little biased, but I think I have the best mama in the world. Words cannot even express how much I love her. Obviously I love both of my parents more than words can say, but this post is about mamas, so there you go. My mother has sacrificed more than I will ever know or could ever understand. She didn't finish college in order to get married and have babies. She stayed home to raise us and only went back to work when we were old enough to be a little more independent. She even went back to college taking night courses when I was 6 years old, while working as a PE aide at our school, and to this day I don't know how she did it. I remember being a lazy 22 year old college of ed student stressed out with the amount of work put on me during college, but that is nothing compared to taking care of a family on top of that. She never wavered in her responsibilities and we never did without. She went on to become one of the most fabulous 1st grade teachers I have ever known (and I know most of you will agree with me). She thought outside the box (and still does) and she has ALWAYS done what is right for kids, no matter what. She stayed late and worked on weekends, but we never felt any less important to her. She has worked from being just an aide to now being the principal of one of the best schools in Mobile County. I could not be more proud of her. She had a goal and had faith the Lord would bring her to it, and He did. Maybe not as quickly as she would've liked, but she made it. She is hilarious and wonderful and tells the best stories. She loves all four of us so well and is maybe an even better grandmother to her four grandchildren than she is a mama (though I don't know HOW that is possible ;) ). I am beyond grateful for you and your life, Honey. You are my role model and inspiration to show me that anything is possible. I love you.
There have been so many motherly figures in my life, I honestly can't even begin to count them. The one that sticks out most in my mind is my Mamaw. I miss that woman every. single. day. Even now as I type this my eyes fill with tears because I wish she was here. She was the only grandmother I ever knew. I so wish I could call her sometimes when I am cooking something to ask her how she did it or how to get out a stain or what to do when Oliver is _______. She was so wise and wonderful and full of personality. She worked hard. Her and my mother run of a close race for being the hardest working women I have ever known. I guess we know where Honey gets it from. ;) My heart hurts that my babies will never know my Mamaw. She would've loved them so well and sang to them and rocked them on her patio and told them all kinds of stories. I was blessed beyond measure to grow up on the same street as her. Memories of pop ices, pickles, shelling peas, tiny glasses of Coke, and cornbread fill my thoughts constantly. I miss that woman and will love her always.
I have also been blessed with a wonderful mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law (is that a thing?) who have loved me so well! They welcomed me into their family like I was one of their own and I am forever grateful for that. I can't wait to make memories with them and watch my babies love them the way I loved my grandmother and great-grandmother. Thank you, sweet ladies, for being wonderful.
This holiday never goes by that I don't think about that mamas who are without. The mamas who are missing babies that are no longer with us, the mamas who are missing babies they never got a chance to hold, the mamas who long for a baby of their own, and the mamas who miss their own mamas. I can't even imagine. I truly don't know what any of you are going through, but there is someone in my life who fits every single one of those descriptions. How does one move on from the death of a child? Or a miscarriage? The only answer is Christ. We have to trust we serve a loving, just, and merciful God who has taken those sweet babies in His arms and is loving on them every single day in a better way that we ever could. I know it doesn't make their absence any easier, but it helps me to grieve for you believing that truth. How does a woman celebrate a day she so longs to be a part of more than anything in this world? A woman who longs for a baby, but her womb stays empty. A woman who waits on an adoption she feels like will never be finalized. Again, I can only point to Christ. He has something so magnificent planned for you. He will give you what you need. He will meet you where you are, if you will only go with Him. Never give up, mama. Something good is coming. How does a woman celebrate this holiday wishing her own mama was here? I always think about my mother on this day. How her heart must ache with no mother on earth here to love. How much she must want to pick up the phone or send her card or buy her a gift, but can't. And again I say, you celebrate it knowing they are celebrating this day with their King. I know my Mamaw loved the Lord with all her heart, mind, and strength and knew Jesus in a way I only hope I'll know him, so there is no doubt in my mind where she is today. I hope you can rest in knowing that truth is real in your life. That the mothers who aren't here with us this Sunday are rejoicing with their Father.
I love being a mother. It is hard and wonderful at the same time. It is the job I feel I was destined to do. It is thankless and full of sacrifice, but the thing is, you never think twice about it. No meal or drink is your own anymore, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I am beyond blessed. Thank you, Lord, for all the mamas in my life. For the women who have guided me and shaped me into the mother I am today.
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| What cutie. I swear he loves me... |
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