Mothers Day Musings

The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me. Psalm 16:6

I come from a line of godly mothers. I'm fortunate to still have my paternal grandmother. A quiet but plucky lady from the Depression era, who raised a family of 10, of whom my dad is the oldest. You can read her story by purchasing the book "A Home for Sarah".  A shameless plug for the author. :)
My maternal grandmother was a very special lady who stepped onto Heaven's shore exactly a month before I became a mother. One of the most special moments of my life was having her present with me when my firstborn was born. I don't know how to explain how someone in Heaven could be in the room but she was definitely there. She was by my left shoulder, marveling with us over new life, her first great-grandchild. When I'm a grandma, I hope I can be one like her.

Then there is my mom. Mom did an amazing job of raising me & my brothers. We share a special bond few mother/daughters have because I am an only daughter. What I lack in sisters, I gain in my mom. We were united against all the testosterone dominating the household and she poured everything into teaching me how to be feminine and run an efficient household because I was the only one. She has been there for me through all of life's crazy ups & downs. Even now when we live hours apart. The older I get the more I am aware she won't always be there for me to lean on. I hope that day doesn't come for a long time yet because I still need her guidance & example.

Being a mom was not my dream career. Somehow the mommy genes missed me. But when God diverted my plans and put me on the path to motherhood instead, I wanted to do a good job. Ok, if we're being honest here, I wanted to get through it without screwing up the next generation too badly. When my kids were little I just wanted a full night of sleep and a little peace & quiet once in awhile. All the grandmothers who nostalgically advised "Enjoy them while they're little -they grow up so fast!" didn't really help at 2am. That stage seemed to last an 'eternity'! (In all fairness to my children, they weren't horrible kids- it was the combo of battling the double enemy of a disability and depression.) But like the transition phase of labor, I had to get through that stage to reach this stage, my sweet spot of mothering. I don't really relate to the grandmothers who ominously warned "Wait until they're teens!" Now is when I want to slow time down and hang onto the moments. In the midst of settling fights, wiping bottoms, wishing for 2 minutes of peace to pee, and finding it impossible to spend uninterrupted time with God, I wish I would've known for sure I would make it to the "rise up and called her blessed" part.

My oldest came home from work Saturday evening with these:

 These are extra special because it's a first for my Aspie. Not only did he think of getting a gift, he also put enough thought into knowing I would like salted caramel dark chocolates.

My middle child came home with these:

LOL. My boys know my happy place is a dark place (dark chocolate).

His girlfriend showed up with this and compliments on my mothering:

Not pictured: My youngest gave me an awesome foot spa night.

The man of the house took care of lunch and did the dishes. And then spent the rest of the evening fixing my leaking kitchen faucet, when he was planning to relax with his feet up.

I am blessed.