Remembering HIS Mother...

As we remembered and acknowledged all the moms in church today, I couldn't help but think of one mother that made the ultimate sacrifice...Mary. I can't imagine having an angel tell me I would be the one to carry the Son of God in my womb; to birth the Savior without the aid of drugs or doctors or the conventional hospital bed. To receive hastily looks of disapproval for a growing tummy without a wedded husband which was social not accepted and punished. To have to explain a miraculous event to your husband-to-be and attempt the future without fear. Feeling Jesus dance about within and internally become excited because just like me, Mary was a mother. We forget that Mary experienced the joys of motherhood like I experience with my little people. She nursed Jesus, bathed Jesus, taught him to read and write, to sing and to play. And knowing the opportunity placed before her, she also knew the pain her Son would endure.

I can never imagine the anguish Mary went through seeing her Son beat, scorned, brutally mocked and crucified. I imagine it's multiplied by the thousands when one of my children scrap their knee, fall down, or like today, bite their lip and have physical pain that only a mother can soothe. Like my mom having to watch her oldest daughter fight an agonizing battle with breast cancer. Like my girlfriend begging for life as her daughter was on life support or a mother standing by as her child endures emotional pain so extreme for one to handle.
I'm humbled to know that Jesus' mother had enough love to set Him free. I'm forever thankful for Mary to carry and birth the Son of Man. To raise Him to be the King of Kings and Lord of my life. So as we celebrate our Mom's today let us not forget the mom's before us who may have had the opportunity of raising the most important son of all: Jesus Christ.

Today I can't help but thank the mother that gave me a gift so precious and full of life herself. I'm honored to be able to raise our "baby" and to be called "mama" every moment throughout the day. This picture is a moment I will never forget and I thank all of our Nana's and Grandma's for their selfless love, spoil alerts, and kisses that will last for days. I thank God for the faith example they are to my children and the inspiration they are to me offering encouragement to a young mom myself.

{Judy meeting Myriam at only a day old}

I'm blessed to have the most prized job of all, the job that no one but me can do: parent our three beautiful children. It is a job that God destined me to have. A job that I thoroughly enjoy even when things get loud, chaotic, displaced, and inpatient. I wake up to the sounds of chatter or fighting and I'm ready for the task at hand because I know that part of God's dream for me is to be non other than Addison's, Charlie's, and Myriam's mommy through birth and adoption: The bath washer, laundry folder, nose picker, diaper changer, referee negotiator, meal cooker, sweet tooth maker, snuggle holder, tickle monster, toe pincher, cheek kisser, prayer warrior, faith teacher God wants me to be.

{Addison's Mom's Day stash that she gave me today}

"We're so lucky that our mom is so ducky" HILARIOUS!

That's a good question but here's my answer: Everyday is a children's day!

{From none other than my Chuckles}

So I can't help but say Happy Mother's Day to Mary and for being the mother to my Savior. I wish blessings to those mommies expecting and think about those waiting for the moment we experienced through selfless giving of another mommy. I pray for wisdom as we scrub the dishes, clean the bathrooms, and wash the 100th load of laundry. I ask God to magically impress the need for young children to fold the mounds of clean clothes after they effortlessly, without complaint, cleaned their rooms and put away their toys. I plead for grace in my inpatient moments and forgiveness for the things I've done wrong or done in rage of the moment. And I thank God for the laughter, the smiles, the quiet snuggles, and whispers of "I love you's" because its in those moments that define my job: Motherhood.