In Honor of Mother's Day

My mom is amazing. She always has been. She's been knocked down several times by life and gets back up~each time walking in forgiveness, grace, and love. She amazes me.

When we were kids, our home was always filled with music & laughter. Mom was always singing or humming or whistling...I used to test her by coming up with words to see if she could find a song to go with them & she almost always could (though I did stump her today with the word "pickle"). She was the fun mom...the mom who would take all of our friends to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk & ride the rides with us, screaming & laughing. I think her joy & fun was passed down to her by her mother, who was the best grandma ever...she had to be told at the age of 75, to her great dismay, that she could no longer ride rollercoasters--doing so was destroying her eyes. Grandma thoroughly resented having to ride a Merry-Go-Round instead! Grandma definitely passed on her joy to Mom. And now Mom is the fun Gramma her mom once was. It's beautiful to see!

My Grandmother

Because of my medical conditions, I am unable to work and really cannot handle the simplest tasks of day-to-day living~cooking, cleaning, etc. (To be brutally honest, I don't even have the strength to shower every day: gross!) And she does it all joyfully.

My gracious, beautiful mother has been taking care of me full-time for over a year now: physically & financially (which is really saying something if you knew my medical costs!!). I would be lost without her! And I really cannot express to her or anyone else how grateful I am to her.

The best thing is that we still have fun together. Some people might think it a crushing blow to have live with your mom again when you're nearly 40. But I actually love it and we really do have fun together. We are mother-daughter but also friends.

I know the following poem is rather cheesey...but it's also true!

My Miracle Mother
Mom, I look at you
and see a walking miracle.
Your unfailing love without limit,
your ability to soothe my every hurt,
the way you are on duty, unselfishly,
every hour, every day,
makes me so grateful
that I am yours, and you are mine.
With open arms and open heart,
with enduring patience and inner strength,
you give so much for me,
sometimes at your expense.
You are my teacher,
my comforter, my encourager,
appreciating all, forgiving all.
Sometimes I took you for granted, Mom,
but I don’t now, and I never will again.
I know that everything I am today
relates to you and your loving care.
I gaze in wonder
as I watch you being you—
my miracle, my mother.
By Joanna Fuchs

I love you, Mom! Happy Mother's Day. You are my hero. I admire you so much! You are a living, breathing picture of Christ's love and grace. I can't imagine having anyone but you as my mom & I am so glad that we are friends too.

I wish a could give you more than a simple blog notation, but....well, you know how it is.

Gramma & her TeaRose