Mom

I haven't done this in a while. But as I was working on my sermon for Mothers Day, I had a few thoughts about my own mom. I didn't want them to be fleeting thoughts that vanished as quickly as they came...so here I am.

My moms not online. We tried that for a few months and my nerves couldn't take it. And even if she were she'd never manage to find this without my help. Her and my dad crack me up. I can't count the number of times I've "fixed" their tv or phone, or BOTH. So,I guess I'm writing this as therapy for me, or maybe it's for my kids who've been robbed the joy of knowing how cool grandma used to be. Mom's got Parkinson's and lately she's had more bad days than good. Her memory isn't too good, her strength isn't that strong and she's not able to do many of the things that have brought her joy throughout her life. But mom's got a great heart...well, not physically...she's a walking heart attack on top of her other issues...but emotionally, her heart is strong. She still has such great love for her kids and her grandkids. Even on her worst days, her grandkids just have to show up to pull her out of wherever it is her disease takes her too. She never lets us part company, either on the phone or in person, without a serious "I love you, son!"

My mom has always had heart. When I was a kid and my birth dad left and My parents divorced, that's when I learned what "heart" was all about. She was ferocious. She wasn't about to let her kids suffer or struggle or do without. And we didn't. She never spent one day, to my knowledge, moping around the house feeling sorry for herself. She worked hard to keep us in our home. She did without so that we could have Nike shoes and decent ball gloves. We ate a ton of hot dogs and Mac-n-cheese, but we never went hungry. She'd take us fishing, which I'm sure was at the top of her "fun things to do" list. She would hit grounders and pop-flys in the back yard until it was too dark to see. She did everything in her power to make sure we were plugged into an environment of godly men that would teach us "men-things" and provide the masculinity that young boys so desperately need. There's no telling how many times she had to swallow her pride in order to make sure her kids came first.

In short, my mom was a kick-ass rock star of a parent and she did a lot of it by herself. ( I know, the preacher isn't supposed to talk like that and mom would be the first to point that out, but saying she did a good, or even a great job just doesn't convey the sentiment). My mom is awesome and she got us a dad that's pretty awesome too. There aren't many 30 year old men who want to step in and raise somebody else's kids. Mom waited. And the right one showed up. And life, though it had fallen apart at one point in time, fell back into place. A good place. And look at us now. I know mom trusted the Lord to take care of us. And He did. And he still does.

I'm thankful for my mom. She's not the woman that she used to be. And I partly wonder if those years of doing it all and giving her all, aren't the cause of her failing health now. One thing I know for sure though is that even if she knew then what the price would be for pouring herself out for her kids...She'd do it without a second thought.

My mom is my hero and my champion. Moms like her are the reason we have Mothers Day. I love you, mom! I'm still praying I can become half the parent you are.