Love you, Momma

This Mother's Day, I wanted to write a tribute to my mother. She is a remarkable woman, and I am confident i don't tell her this enough. So, though I am going to strive to do that more often, I will take this opportunity of mothers day to tell her and to tell others what a gift God of grace God has given me in my mother.

You probably don’t know how truly beautiful I think you are, because I know that I don’t tell you enough. But these are the things I see, and have seen all my life. These are the ways I will describe you to your great grandchildren, or to those who have never known you.
She is strikingly lovely, in the way few women are. She is tall, elegant, glamorous, and wears her beauty without apology. Even as a little girl, when I got separated from my mom in a crowd (which was often because with her long legs, every one step was five of mine), I just looked for the tallest women in the crowd, the one holding her head so high. She has the most beautiful hands, that I have always loved holding. They are somehow delicate and strong all at the same time. She is always quick to laugh, even at herself, but always at her husband. I am positive that in their life together my mother has made my dad feel like the funniest man in the world. I can’t tell you how many times my mom was doubled over, in tears of laughter over some joke my dad had made. She always could make people feel special, especially us. To say she supported our dreams is an understatement. I am still thoroughly convinced that if I were to have told my parents that I wanted to be in the circus, they would have immediately set themselves to building a flying trapeze swing in our backyard so that I could practice---at the age of 9. The freedom and imagination they fed in my young heart will continue throughout generations. It is this same reckless abandon I can’t wait to pass on to my boys. I will take this example and feed my sons imaginations, make them visionaries, world changers, men who seek to do the impossible through Christ, men who say and do what others dare not say and do, men who try what others dare not try simply because they have never been told to be afraid. This is the kind of mother I want to be because this is the kind of mother I have. She is the kind of woman we will tell stories about long after she is gone. Stories that will begin with her attempts to pick up boxes three times her size simply because there wasn’t a man around to do it, and after a couple generations will grow into the stories of her picking up cars three times her size. Yes, she will be legendary in her family, because that is the kind of women she is. It may seem a small thing to spend your life raising three children and loving one man, but these are the things legends are made of. In her life she has seen God change her families legacy from shattered lives to eternal lives. Her legacy will be that of tireless days spent making her home a beautiful place. Perhaps, because of this, when her children hit adolescence, they did not want to go other places, but instead wanted to bring others into their home, therefore protecting them from countless temptation and danger. Her legacy is that she still goes about her day thinking about her children and what is best for them. How are they doing? Are they happy? Are they rested? Are they safe? Are they enjoying life? Her legacy is that no amount of work was too much to show her love to her children, no burden too heavy to take upon her to lighten the load of the little ones God had given her. This has raised children that want to adopt little ones who otherwise would never know this love, even though children will make life “harder.” We have been taught that love is the motivation for all work, and if there is enough love, there is enough strength to accomplish it. She is the kind of woman with boundless energy who has always found joy in “getting the job done.” When everyone else had long since pooped out, slung across couches heaving their last breaths, she’ll jump up exclaiming, ”Alright, lets go, lets get this done!!” These memories have often motivated me to continue in a task I want to give up on. And on Mother’s Day, I must mention, the countless times I arrived at school only to remember that “ Oh, no!!! today was my day to bring brownies to school for the entire class!!!!” Don’t worry (her motto) I will take care of it (also her motto) It’s going to be ok (ALSO her motto). I could go on for pages but I figure I still have many more mothers’ days to tell you the beautiful woman I get to have as my mother and all that I have learned from her so I have to portion it out. And, mom, if you are ever wondering if you are appreciated or if your children respect you or think you did a good enough job raising us, you can just ask. I can easily tell you, for I think of it often. You are a remarkable woman. I never have nor never will know a woman like you, though I hope I bare some resemblance for my boys. To hear the phrase “ you are like your mother” is an honor. So thank you for giving me a mother to be proud of. A woman I love to tell others about. And I pray you feel loved and appreciated this mothers day. I wish I were there to give you lots of hugs and kisses.
Love
Stephy