Mother's Day

Happy mother's day to all the moms! :) I thought I would share some of the reasons I love my mom and some of the ways she's been a huge blessing in my life.

My mom is an extremely giving lady. She gives of her time, talents, and love everyday. Just a few examples -

My mom's gift of her time...
My mom visits my grandpa everyday, and if she doesn't make it one day, it's because she's seriously too busy and simply can't get over there - which is rare. I love to attribute this to my grandma and her impact in my mom's life. My grandma, who died this past December, would drive to the nursing home to sit with my grandpa all day, everyday. I think this act of selflessness on my grandma's part has impacted my whole family, and my mom is displaying the same example for us to be impacted from. Oh how she loves him, and I know he loves his daughter. As hard as it is for her to visit some days, I know she wouldn't trade that time with him for anything else.

My mom's gift of her talents...
My mom is a phenomenal quilter, and she is always thinking of ways that she can bless others through her quilting. She is the founder of her quilting club, Stitchin' Friends, and is always coming up with lessons and workshops for the ladies. Mom is currently helping me with a quilt project for my students and has spent countless hours preparing and sewing the quilts together. She also makes quilts for different people, stitching in her love and compassion with each block. I'm proud to say that she also acquired this from my grandma, who was an avid quilter as well. I absolutely love looking at my mom and seeing the glimpses of Grandma in her - it helps me remember that Grandma's legacy never ends as long as we keep living, which is a great comfort on Mother's Day.

My mom's gift of her love...
There is no doubt that my mom loves me. First of all, she's put up with my goofiness for a good 24 years now, and she doesn't seem to mind it (eh, most of the time ;)). My mom totally and completely supports my running, coming to my runs and cheering me on. It makes my day to see her at the finish line with a huge smile as I cross the end of the run. In highschool, I would go on trips with the youth group from church, and my mom always "surprised" me (it eventually became expected after a few trips) with random notes throughout the week. She would put together a special note and a small surprise for everyday that I was gone, and then give them to an adult on the trip to be the "deliverer" of the pieces of love. I'm a homebody that loves to travel, so it was always comforting to read Mom's notes every morning while I was away. Oh how I miss those days!

These are just a few small examples of my mom's great love for her friends and family as well as the way God has used her to shape me. I have no doubt in my mind that God has used Mom to mold me at times, and I'm sure He'll use her again. I'm just glad she's been willing to be used.

I love you, Momma!! :)