My 1st Mother's Day

This isn't the best quality photograph, but it's the best one I have from my very first mother's day. May 2001. At the time I lived in a log house that still wasn't 100% finished (long story, but the builder squandered our budget and we ran out of money before it was finished), in the north Georgia mountains, complete with frequent visits from black bears, an occasional coyote, groundhogs, and all kinds of other critters. I do love critters, mountains, woods, and log houses, but this was a very stressful time in my life... except for the motherhood part.

Becoming a mother was even more amazing, even more of a blessing, than ever imagined it could be. I felt that way even on those colicky infant days (though I did feel rather helpless at those times); I felt that way when I got mastitis and felt like a truck had run over me (it went away almost as quickly as it started, thanks to great online breast-feeding advice!); I felt that way through all the wonderful times and all of the difficult times of motherhood, and I still do. Motherhood is such a great act of servanthood--actually, millions of sometimes big, but mostly small acts of servanthood.

I get very frustrated with parents who complain about being parents. Please don't misunderstand what I'm saying; I totally understand venting to other moms about sleepless nights with a newborn or a sick child, or the challenges of a messy house, and things like that, and I believe that's one of the reason God gave us friends! I love this blog post by "Raising Arrows": The Me Time Myth. Yes, husbands and children should show appreciation and love and thanks for all we moms do, BUT that's not what motherhood is all about.

"Children are a heritage from the LORD,
the fruit of the womb a reward." Psalm 127:3

Whether our children come from our own womb, through adoption, or through the "bonus" children of marriage, we have been entrusted with a great treasure, and we are greatly blessed. Tomorrow I'll be taking time to think upon the ways I'm blessed, and I'll be thanking my own mom for how she has blessed me. And for ALL the moms in my life, I pray that your children will rise and call you blessed, and that your husband will praise you, saying, "There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!" I pray that we'll remember "charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised". (Proverbs 31: 28-31)

Have a beautiful mother's day!