Happy Mother's Day!

I wanted to take a minute to write to my Mom and to all of the other amazing Mothers out there that I know! There have been times while I have been working when a mom that I visit will ask me, "where did you learn that?" or "How do you know that?". Generally the answer to that question is one of three things: I learned it in a training, I learned it from a friend, or, most likely, I learned it from my Mom! I think that Motherhood comes pretty naturally to some people, and the rest of us learn from watching those lucky people that are naturals! I am of the latter affiliation of course, but fortunately for me, my Mother was of the first!

Being a Mother, as all of you know, is hard work that never ends! It requires endless amounts of patience, diligence, creativity (which I also come up short on), love, and sacrifice, and being able to function on little or no sleep.

My Mother raised 5 children. She always put the needs of her children ahead of her own. I think that she wore the same coat for over 15 years even though it was out of style and falling apart because if she happened to save enough money to finally buy herself a new one, one of her children would emerge with a need of their own, and that money would always go to us- a new pair of pants, new shoes, doctor or dentist bills, etc. She still does this with her children and now her grandchildren, as we struggle to get situated in life. In order to survive, she became a scrimper and a saver, a careful grocery shopper and meal planner, and to this day, she does not waste a thing! She had to be efficient to maintain her sanity, but she was also so much FUN! I have great memories of playing with my Mom, and I know her grandkids will too!

One of the many things that I appreciate about my Mother is her ability to listen. My sisters and I can talk to our Mom about ANYTHING, and we have. She will sit and listen to us without judgement, even when what I am saying to her is completely unreasonable, over opinionated, or just plain wrong. (Of course, that doesn't happen very often). She always provides that shoulder to cry on and a safe place to go when my world seems to be turning upside down or sideways. Her house is always home, and even though we bombard her a little too often with our crazy family, she still welcomes us back with a smile.

Not only is she a great Mom, she is an amazing Grandmother! Her grandkids all adore her. She is kind, patient, and so much fun! She has no problem running after them at the park or getting down on the floor and playing cars or letting them crawl all over her.

This is long, I know, but one more thing that I admire about my Mom. She is brave. She took 5 children to a foreign country to live for 7 years. She didn't know the language and must have been scared to death, but she stayed positive and was so adventurous. She was diagnosed with cancer a couple of years ago. This happened while my dad was still in recovery after his heart attack. It was a tough and scary year for the two of them, but I only saw her break down once. She dealt with these trials the same way that she has dealt with all of the trials in her life; with faith, courage, patience, and probably a lot of prayer! When life is hard, she says a prayer, pulls out a notebook, makes lists, and then starts working.

Now, one more thought about Mothers in general. I used to think that I was fine on my own- I had my husband and kids, and I didn't really need anyone else. I was so wrong. I realized that I needed friendship and help from other women, but I figured that I really only needed to seek out friendships with other Moms who have the same beliefs and who use all of the same methods and parenting techniques that I do. I was wrong about that too!! We Mother's need to band together- differences and all, to lift each other up and learn from one another! It is strange for me to think that there are three Mothers out there somewhere who are raising my son's future wives and the Mothers to my grandchildren. I need to pray for them just as much as I pray for myself, (I could definitely use some of their prayers coming my way also!).

If you made it through all of this rambling, you are a trooper. Thank you, all of the wonderful Mothers out there who have been my examples, my teachers, and my support system- my own Mother, my sisters (that I learn new things from every time I see them), and my friends (that includes you Chantel- I don't know how I would have survived these last few years without you!). We are all doing a great work, and it is nice to know that we are not alone!

Happy Mother's Day!