Feel loved! - (part 3- God gave us a mother)
Life doesn’t come with a manual, it comes with a mother. I was blessed with a really extraordinary one. I am a strong woman because I was raised by a strong woman. She overcame more hardships than I can imagine. I’m going to ask for forgiveness, rather than permission…. because that is what I do! But, I want you to really understand how amazing my Mom is.
My Mom was raised in poor and humbling circumstances, yet she managed to be positive, vivacious, and loved by all. It didn’t hurt that she was super pretty… and still is. But, those poor and humbling circumstances led her to want to get the HECK out. She moved across the country on her own. She married young and had a sweet baby boy. But, she ultimately became a victim of abuse. Statistics say she should have not made it out of those circumstances, yet she did. She was strong and she found her voice and advocated for herself.
She never had a formal college education, yet her hard work, determination, and smarts landed her an impressive resume with experience in finance, real estate, education, and business management. She remarried and relocated to Hollywood with her new husband. Not long after, she welcomed a baby girl (that’s me!). Ultimately, the lifestyle my father led was not one conducive to the family values and life my Mom envisioned. It was hard, but my Mom again advocated for herself and her child and relocated back across the country as a single mother.
I remember that my Mom was ALWAYS there. She worked, but took a job in my school system to be off when I was out. She made time and she made memories. She always encouraged a relationship with my Dad. She arranged for us to spend our summers in California with him and arranged trips for him to come to us. She taught me all that was wonderful about my Dad and left out the reasons why they weren’t together. I have so much respect for that.
My Mom sacrificed so much to enable me to have a magical childhood and to afford me opportunities to pursue my passions. She allowed me to do dance, karate, and modeling (too bad I was destined to be vertically challenged). She bought me a piano that still sits in my home and arranged for the piano and eventually voice lessons that led to college scholarships. She threw pinterest worthy birthday parties before pinterest was even in existence! My childhood friends still remember her coming to our class regularly to read the “Serendipity” books.
My Mom always had a generous heart and of course still does! She is a Godly woman, a disciple of Christ, and is faithful and diligent in prayer and scripture study. She modeled that so well for me and led me to my own steadfast and immovable faith. She endured well the challenge of being a single parent in a faith that promotes the importance and sanctity of the family unit. She served and taught the youth of the church in my growing up years and I remember many that sought her council and love. She loved them as her own.
She may have had a touch OCD about the cleanliness of our home and has instilled that in me. I’m sure to thank her daily for my neurotic desire to try and keep a clean, organized and de-cluttered home with 5 children… which is virtually impossible… thanks Mom! The nice thing about that, though, was our home was always ready for guests and she always made our home a comfortable place for my friends.
With my father’s unexpected death, she was again my rock! She was mourning, too, but she was there for me. I would not have made it through without her.
When I got engaged, she sacrificed everything to create a beautiful wedding for Parker and I. She loved him like her own. She was such a comfort to me in our many years of infertility. Her faith was never shaken and she steadily reminded me to trust my Heavenly Father. Her council is always wise.
When our babies finally came, she dropped everything to be the best nanny a girl could ask for. She relocated her life to the country and has watched every one of our babies when I returned to work. Every single one of our children adore her. She is generous in her affection, she praises them, builds them up, showers them with love! She continues to put the needs of our family above her own. To ask her to not, would be to ask her to not be herself. She knows no other way. She is the reason I maintain my sanity with long shifts at work, no sleep, and 5 busy kiddos.
My mother is a testament to the love God has. She has taught me all things wonderful,positive, strong, compassionate, generous, loving, and faithful! Despite so many trials and adversity, my mother persevered with positivity, faith, and grace! I could not have asked for a more perfect person to prepare me for my path in life!
