So, I woke up this morning to find people sharing pictures of their Mom. No words. Just a picture. Well, this post was already scheduled. You see, my Mom’s birthday was September 6th, but I didn’t want this post LOST on a Holiday weekend, so I postponed it.
Until today.
The card I gave her for her birthday was simple. It SIMPLY said, “NOTHING has had the impact on my life that you have had as my Mother.” Very few words, but they cover a lot.
I know that the way I was raised is enviable. I was loved, cherished, protected. I was taught — and expected — to be strong. I was allowed to explore. And my parents had NO specific expectations for me. THIS is perhaps the greatest gift any child can be given: the freedom to grow into THEMSELVES without outside pressure to conform.
But my Mom,
who mentored many of my friends
and served as such an example to all of us,
who taught us about the Lord on the front porch or the couch,
who would do her ‘The Firm’ workout NO MATTER who was over, but always invited them to join…
who would lay out my clothes by the fire in the winter months so they would feel good when I put them on… 
who would make up recipes and present them with absolute certainty (regardless, lol….)
who would turn living in a camper into an adventure….
taught me so many things,
by her words at times
and by her actions.
SHE TAUGHT ME TO QUESTION THINGS EVERYONE ELSE ACCEPTED.
In the 5th grade, I said that so-and-so was “popular.” She just said, in COMPLETE sincerity as if she were contemplating the question herself, “who says?” Who SAYS who’s popular?
Who INDEED???
SHE TAUGHT ME TO WORK HARD FOR WHAT I WANTED, AND THAT IF I DID, NOTHING WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE.
She never doubted me. But she was HONEST about my abilities and my chances. “Mom, do you think I’m going to make the team?”
“Mom, do you think I’m going to make the team?”“I think if you practice really hard EVERY DAY between now and next year, you’ll make the team NEXT YEAR.” lol..
With EFFORT, DAILY effort, I could do whatever I wanted.
SHE TAUGHT ME THAT I WAS NEVER ALONE.
She embedded in me the TRUTH that God is a personal God. That he walks with me and talks with me… that as a child of God, I am NEVER alone.
SHE TAUGHT ME THAT EFFORT WAS NOBLE.
Whether it was her DAILY workout or hanging out clothes (to save money by not using the dryer) or cleaning the house… the EFFORT itself (separate from the results) was noble.
SHE TAUGHT ME UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.
If you know my Mom, you know that her love is ABSOLUTELY unconditional. I ALWAYS knew that while there were things I could do (did do, lol… ) that would DISAPPOINT her, nothing could even DULL her love for me.
SHE TAUGHT ME THAT I WAS SOMETHING SPECIAL.
My Mom didn’t have the upbringing I did. Quite the opposite. But at 12 someone told her something that changed her life. They said, “God created you, and God doesn’t make any junk.” If I heard that phrase ONCE in my life, I’ve heard it a gazillion times. She meant it. I was FEARFULLY and wonderfully made. I heard it and I believed it.
SHE TAUGHT ME THAT MARRIAGE WAS A PARTNERSHIP AND A JOURNEY.
My parents met when they were 13. My Mom turned 17 in September and they married in October. I WATCHED as my parents grew and evolved at different paces. I saw as they grappled for common ground in their thirties because “what you look for in a boy is not what you look for in a man.” I heard them battle for their love story. I had no misconceptions coming into my own marriage, because of this. I knew what it would take, and that it was worth it.
I heard them battle for their love story. I had no misconceptions coming into my own marriage, because of this. I knew what it would take, and that it was worth it.SHE TAUGHT ME THAT THERE IS NO “SEEMS” OR “LOOKS LIKE.”
Honest to God, there was never even ONE discussion in my home about what something “looked like” or “seemed like.” We ONLY discussed what WAS or what WAS NOT. Truth. Reality. There was no focus on “seeming” a certain way or “looking” a certain way. There was only BEING a certain way.
Ask ANYONE who knew my family and they’d tell you, our home was REAL. Zero pretense. Zero cover. Zero B.S. EVER.
All of these things have helped me in my business, but mainly in my LIFE, in my PRIMARY and most cherished roles of wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend.
I love you Mom. NOTHING has made the difference in my life that you have. If you guys see my Mom on Facebook, please wish her a Happy belated Birthday.
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