Mother

This Sunday is Mother's Day. Out of curiosity, I looked up Mother in my 1828 Noah Webster dictionary. I figured there would be some good definitions of the word, and I was not disappointed. One of my favorite's is this: "madre, mother, cause, origin, root, spring, a mold or form for castings..." The terminology mold or form for castings caught my eye. I never really thought of myself as a mold for my children, but there is alot of truth in that. I am helping to mold my children for their future, molding their habits, their beliefs, their faith. Kind of convicting, isn't?
I must confess that I didn't appreciate all that my mother has done for me until I became one. The sacrificing, putting aside your own wants, the exhaustion, the doubting, and on and on it goes. But my mom has been there alongside of me on this journey called motherhood, offering her advice, encouragement and support. Which some days, I just need to hook up to an IV...a continuous flow, you know what I mean?
Living so far away from my mom has few advantages, but one advantage is that when I have a baby, my mom comes and LIVES with me. For ten days. Give or take how late my babies decide to come. Now, if I lived in Pennsylvania, she would stop by the house, but since she has to fly to Arizona, I get in house help for at least ten blissful days.  There are no words to describe how much I appreciate that. Thank you Mom!!!

                                           my mom with Landon shortly after he was born

    Another definition is "an appellation given to a woman who exercises care and tenderness towards another, or gives parental advice; as when one says, "a woman has been a mother to me." During different seasons of my life, the Lord has put women in my life who fit this description. During high school, my best friend's mother, Linda, was like a second mom to me. I was constantly in and out of her house, visiting, eating her food, and staying up all hours of the night watching movies and talking. She and I continued to meet for lunch after Renee moved out to California and got married.  It will be six years this October since she went home to Jesus.  There was Marianne. I spent lots of time at her house and even worked for her for a while. I fondly remember sitting at her kitchen table talking.
When I went off to college, there was Betty Ann. She always made time for me, and some of the best memories I have of her are sitting at her counter, coffee in hand, just chatting away. And now I have my mother in law, Cecelia. She is one of the most generous, kind and loving people I know. I love how God has His ways of taking care of me, no matter where I am in life.
And lastly, I just had to throw out that another definition of the word mother is, "a thick slimy substance concreted in liquors, particularly in vinegar, very different from scum or common lees." When I read that, I laughed. Out loud.
And so, I just wanted to wish all the mothers out there, whether you are raising little ones, expecting your first one, empty nester, or perhaps raising "spiritual" children,

                      Happy Mother's Day!