Ode to My Mom

My Mom is the best.

Really, she is! All my friends used to say so when I was a teenager. They all still say it now.

I have friends whose mothers are unable or unwilling to do childcare - not even for a few hours, let alone days on end. Not mine! She will use her vacation time from work to move in with my brood while I am away.

I have friends who really don't get along with their mothers, even as adults. Not me! My Mom is my best friend. We talk on the phone pretty much daily, we love spending time together shopping or at the spa, painting house or cleaning.

Sure, it was annoying to have all my teenage friends come to my Mom for counsel about boys, family, and friends. But it secretly made me proud. Even now, my friends are treated as an extension of her family. My Mom will babysit my friends' kids to help me coordinate a girls' night with them. She will rally the troops and pour her time and money into my causes and the causes of my friends. And she takes each need of my family and my friends' families to prayer. Faithfully.

Like any child of divorce, I had my "daddy issues," but I have no doubt that my Mom is the reason I came through them with significantly fewer scrapes and scars than many of my peers.

My Mom has taught me how to work hard, she's demonstrated for me how to stay optimistic and have joy in difficult situations, and she has made me feel loved beyond measure every day of my life.

My Mom is my biggest fan, staunchest supporter, and best encourager.

As I get older, I am beginning to recognize the many characteristics my Mom passed down to me: being organized and detail-oriented, enjoying writing and speaking, loving a good book, being a leader and an encourager, learning to choose my words carefully, my slight propensity to boss others around, and so much more. I am a part of her, she's a part of me, and that is amazing and precious and so much fun!

Thank you, Lord, for giving me to my Mom and for choosing my Mom for me.

Thank you, Mom, for keeping me at a time when that was not the socially accepted thing to do. And thank you for loving me when I've been unlovable, for holding me up when I've been on the brink of collapse, and for pushing me forward when I want dig my heels in.

Thank you, Mom, for being my friend. I love you.



Can you believe that I can't find a single photo of just my Mom and I in the past many years?! But here we are with her Mom, my still gorgeous and energetic Grandma. If you ever wonder where my Mom comes by all that energy...