Happy Mother's Day

Brett & Relyn

I think this picture of my brother and me is a perfect Mother's Day picture.  It shows exactly how my mom has always made us feel.  Look at those happy, smiling, laughing faces.  Notice the book. Pay attention to the stylish home: the cool phone, the plants, the stylin', comfy sofa.  See the joy?

Motherhood in one simple snapshot.  At least, my own mother's version of it.  The ingredients she mixed are simple enough to write about.  But, they are not so easy to live out.  It takes courage, passion, compassion, intelligence, dedication, energy, prayer, faith, and so much love to be a mother like mine is.  But, oh, when you have a mother like mine...  life is nothing short of magic.

My Mom's Motherhood Recipe went something like this:

Laugh:  Give your children a happy childhood.  Laugh with them.  Play with them.  Listen to them.  Don't argue.  Teach your family that home is a place for friendship and joy.
Books:  Fill your children's lives with books and stories.  Read to them at night. Talk about what you are reading.  Listen to them read aloud.  Take them to the library once a week to stock up.  Buy them books as often as you can.  Have a personal library in each child's bedroom.
Home:  Make it beautiful and comfortable.  Work to keep it clean and tidy.  Life just works better without the clutter and mess.  Be organized.  Keep life in the house; nurture plants and pets alongside the children and marriage.  Take care of the things you are blessed enough to own and make your environment as beautiful as you know how.  Invite people over and treat them like they are special. Serve them nice food at a beautiful table and listen to their stories.  Be a good hostess. Above all, make home a safe place to return to after walking in this weary world.  Make home a haven and a refuge; the one place you can always find absolute love and acceptance.
Listen:  Keep the phone handy.  Let your child know that no matter where they are, what they are doing, or what kind of life they choose, you are - at most - only a phone call away.  Listen.  Talk.  Share.  Nobody cares about your life like your mother does.
Love: There are too many words for this one.  My heart is too full to tell you how my mother loved us; loves us still. Maybe this will give you a glimpse.  When I lived at home, my mom woke me up every morning with a song and a smile.  Every morning.  Now, we talk on the phone nearly every day.  And no one, not one single person know about the details of my life, my friends, my triumphs and frustrations like my mother does.

There just aren't enough words to speak the fullness of my heart.  I love you, Mom.  Happy Mother's Day.