I am crazy blessed with a mother load of women that God has placed in my life that mother me in some form or fashion. This is just my shout out to each one of them! Happy Mother's Day!
First of all, the buck stops with this one. She is my flesh and blood, my one and only....momma. I know her smell. I can tell almost instantly what her mood is simply by her walk from a distance. Hers is the face I want to see most when I am sick. Her words can encourage and inspire me when most others are like noise to my ears. She knows a trip to the mall (or Goodwill) can almost always cheer me up. We can talk for hours and still not cover everything. She is a God chaser. She cares deeply. She loves strong. She is the tie that binds our family. She is a force to be reckoned with. Her strength of character is striking. Her confidence in Christ is just the coolest thing to watch. She is my most favorite woman on this earth....my momma.
This second lady is currently dancing the streets of heaven but I would be so remiss to not mention her. I have thought of her several times today and I can still perfectly picture her wrinkled face. My mawmaw. That is what we southern girls call our grandmothers. Sarah Louise loved to smoke cigarettes. She loved her husband of over 50 years. She loved her small country church and everyone in it....and she loved me. I was her little pet. I came along after a long period of no grandchildren and they were mostly boys. I was spoiled rotten to say the least. My mom and dad would pick me up from her house and I would be dirty from top to bottom but smiling from ear to ear. She would scratch my back, fix my breakfast plate just how I liked it and have a yellow cake with chocolate icing waiting on me to arrive. My mawmaw. She spent many a day mothering me. Teaching me to be creative and imaginative under her big trees in her yard. I can't wait to see her again!
This third lady is mine by default. She didn't choose me, but praise God her son did. Patricia is my awesome mother-in-law. She is such a fine woman and I get to see her strength, grit, and optimism everyday in the man I married. She is the picture of a southern lady. She is proper and refined but truly a humble servant. She doesn't let the fact that she is over 70, suffering with rheumatoid arthritis, endured a kidney transplant, and has several other nagging ailments keep her from weekly volunteering at a local hospital, teaching her Sunday school class or reaching out to shut-ins. Her example wears me out (dang, the bar is set high) and makes me so proud to know her and have her as a mother in my life.
This fourth mother that God has graciously given me is my Linda. God sent Linda to us about 5 years ago and she has become a member of our family. She stepped up to help with Caroline when most others were too scared. She wanted to minister to us by giving us relief in caring for our special needs girl. As we have added to our clan...she has loved all of the others just the same. My kids think she is just part of the family and I wouldn't have it any other way. She is truly the most self-less person I know. She never, ever, ever thinks of herself first. God uses her example to speak to me in so many ways. She mothers me too. She likes to worry over sickness, call with CNN news and weather updates and make sure I know the latest happenings in our church. I tease her constantly but she is such a good sport. She adores my children and I adore her for that!
Lastly, I just want to mention a few friends. That may seem weird to you but I definitely have friends that mother me. Some are older and some are younger. These girls build a wall of grace, faith, and protection around me. I am who I am because of their direct influence on my life. I crave traits that they possess and they make me want to be better followers of Christ.
I am so glad that God gave me women who wouldn't always agree with me but those who love me enough to speak truth, live truth, and encourage always!
Deana, Brandi, Marje, Mandi, Jac, Tess, Liz, Caroline, and Cole.....Happy Mother's Day! Thank you for mothering me at times. You are all so individually awesome people. Your friendship is a portrait of God's goodness in my life. I love you!
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