I'M IN THE MIDDLE :)

As a child, I think I always knew that Mother’s Day was a special day but I never really knew just how special until I became a mother myself. Being a stay-at-home mother is the most awesome job to be had by anyone, anytime, anywhere! Oh, don’t get me wrong, I love photography! However, nothing else in God’s beautiful creation can ever even come close to holding your newborn baby in your arms. The warmth, the cuddles, the nursing, the smell of baby shampoo. All of those precious firsts that I can't imagine having missed: holding a rattle, cooing, crawling, walking, using a spoon, riding a bike, reading, writing, using scissors, etc...

Okay, so it wasn't all glamorous. There were also the runny noses, dirty diapers, skinned knees, doctor visits, administering medicines, being thrown up on. Skinned knees, deaths of beloved pets and family members, new neighborhoods, new churches, failures, hurt feelings. There were many times when I had doubts about my mothering. Was I a good mother? Was I teaching them all that they need to know? Was a good enough role model? Would my girls someday grow up and become the mature, Godly young women that I was praying for? Oh yes, there were days that I felt like giving up, and that was just the first twelve years.

Now, as a homeschooling mother of two teenage daughters, we've entered a new era. Hormones, attitudes, depression, struggles, decisions, indecisions, and learning that life is about so much more than what we want, fill many of our moments. And, as their mother/teacher/friend I (alongside their wonderful father, of course, but more on that next month) have the awesome responsibility of helping and guiding them to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. There are still times when I feel overwhelmed with my role, but God has never failed to give me His strength to do all things and to endure.

In the midst of daily life there are many times that I see that glimmer of hope, the moments of maturity starting to show through. I see the beginnings of a woman starting to emerge, and I am humbled by the fact that the God of the universe has allowed me to produce and raise such beautiful young ladies. This Mother's Day, as my girls made lunch for me and my own precious mother (and their dad, of course) and gave me flowers they had picked out and transplanted themselves, I thanked God! I thanked Him for letting me be the one He blessed and entrusted with these two gifts. I thanked Him for my mother and how she raised me up in the Lord and I realized that Mother's Day is surely about thanking and honoring our mothers and being a mother, but for me it's also about daughters! Thank you, my sweet girls, for another wonderful Mother's Day! Thank you to my mother for all you've done and continue to do for me!  I love you all very much!