Happy Mother's Day to my Mom!

I've been going through some old family pictures and scanning them the past few months.  It has been fun reliving fun memories through them and laughing at some of my hairstyles.  Last night when I was looking for some pictures, I came across a note that I wrote in cursive.  I have no idea how old I was as I dated it December 16th but left the year off.  I'm guessing I was around nine or ten years old.

The note went like this:

My mom is very important to me.  She does things with me.  She takes me places.  She does things for me.  My mom is very important to me.  I don't know what I would do without my mom!

I'm not sure if this was a school assignment or for a Mother's Day card or just because I felt like declaring my love for my mom.  At any rate, these words still ring true for me today as I'm thirty-three years old and mothering four of my own children. My mom is still very important to me, probably even more so than when I penned that note as a young child.

July 3, 1979--The day I was born.

My mom was there when I was four and decided to ask Jesus into my heart.  As a child, my mom cried with me when the cheerleading tryouts didn't go my way.  When I got caught in my own webs of gossip as a junior high preteen, she didn't judge me but rather talked me through her own experiences of dealing with the negative consequences of gossip.

Spring 1987--family vacation to Disney.

As a teenager, I expressed an interest in going on a missions trip, but at the time our church didn't have any scheduled.  So, my mom contacted a missionary family we knew and helped make arrangements for me to go to Venezuela for six weeks and work with them. 

Spring 1996--Girls' trip to NY City

During my college years, I made her nervous with my summers backpacking in Europe but she never discouraged me from going.  After college, I announced I was moving into Chicago with no job and she let me throw a garage sale with their miscellaneous stuff so I could rent a Uhaul truck.  Then she and my dad loaded my childhood bedroom furniture into a truck and sent me off into adulthood.

Since I left for college sixteen years ago, I've lived 600 miles away from my mom.  We are separated by states, but she has been there for all my important moments and many of my mundane ones.  My mom was with me when I bought my wedding dress.  She helped me bake cookies for out of town guests and tie ribbons on my wedding programs the day before my wedding day. 

My mom came and took care of me when I had surgery for endometreiosis and thought I may never have children.  My mom came with me to one of my countless ultrasounds when I was pregnant with the twins.  She was here when I went to the hospital and found out that I'd be delivering the boys that day.  She lived with us for six weeks when I was first learning how to be a mom to two of the tiniest babies I've ever held.  She carried the twins in their carseats when we trekked to the hospital at least six separate times to get help with trying to get them to nurse.  She was there loving my babies, but also taking care of the house so that I could soak up every possible moment with them.  I cried the day that she went home.

July 2006--holding James & Andrew

She has been there each time we've added a new baby boy to our family.  She came when I lost our baby by miscarrying.  She has been there for countless phone calls seeking parenting advice about rashes, sibling rivalry, sleeping issues, and a million other things.  She has seen me through lots of tears, lots of joy and so much life.  She lets me vent about the frustrations of motherhood and to blabber on about the amazing parts.  She gives me perspective.  She encourages me by telling me about the things she thinks I'm doing well.  She visits and takes care of my children so that I can have time to myself or with my husband.

July 4, 2008--the night before Aaron was born.

Since becoming a mom, I have a new realization at how amazing it was for my mom to let me go at so many times during my childhood and adolescence (spending the night at friends' houses, going to camp, traveling internationally,etc).  Two years ago when we were planning our first Disney trip for our young family, I called her and thanked her for all the money that they spent on us to go to Disney as a child.  I had NO idea what kind of money that took as a child, but I had so many memories from those trips that I was thankful to have. 

Mother's Day 2012

I am blessed beyond belief to have had my mom and to still have her in my life.  She has taught me so much about being a wife, mother, sister, friend and woman.  Its hard to put into words all the things she is to me without it turning into a novel.  Life is fleeting and I know there will come a day where I cannot just pick up the phone and find her on the other end to hear whatever mundane or momentous news I have to tell.  In the meantime, I will cherish having her here and the memories we're making together.

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

I love you!!