To my mother

There are so many things to say and so many different ways to honor mothers on this day.  I am never very eloquent nor very creative, but wanted to take this day to say to my mom all the things that just never get said.

My mom has many gifts and many positive qualities, so today I am going to highlight the best of the best of my mom, Mary.

Meeting Malachi

1.  My mother is servant extraordinaire.  Of all the things that she is gifted in, serving others is by far her biggest strength.  Helping me and others behind the scenes is the most natural thing for her to do in the world.  Without a second thought, she can mend clothes, complete several loads of laundry, scrub a messy kitchen counter, and run to the grocery store.   She does all of this well and without needing or expecting one ounce of recognition.  I do one of those things, and I call it a day.

Afrika Bite

2.  My mother is a wonderful planner.  Perhaps I respect this so much because it is such a weakness of mine.  She can plan a week's worth of meals (breakfasts, lunches, AND dinners) for a crowd and have the whole schedule run smoothly, making emergency substitutions without breaking a sweat.  She thinks of every possible scenario (rain plan, sick plan) and is forever prepared, just-in-case.  She has anticipated every possible treat that we could want: hot chocolate on a cold night, skinny cows in the freezer, popcorn to go with the movie, and recipes to try with the kids.

3.  My mother is intelligent.  This is a woman who earned her master's degree while working full time and managing a busy house with three children.  She was very good at what she did professionally, and was still able to be super involved in church.  She can do many things at the same time, and she can do them all well.  Her knowledge about trivia and history and grammar and on and on runs circles around me.  Her pace, then and now, exhausts me, but some how she pulled it off with a smile and with ironed clothes.  (I ironed some pants yesterday for my husband, and Elizabeth walked in the room and asked me "what's this?"  Um, it's an ironing board.  You've never seen one of those.)

4.  My mother is a nurturer to the core.  She is the one who has made the house just right for your arrival (fresh sheets, candles lit, food bubbling on the stove, and favorite drinks waiting in the fridge).  With her grandchildren she reads book after book, completes puzzle after puzzle, gives space and time for craft after craft (my personal favorite, hahahahaha) and always has some warm treat for after dinner.  She is the one who knows your favorite (meal, drink, snack, treat) and makes sure it is stocked in abundance when you visit.  I love that.

5.  My mother is brave.  While there are many things to write about in this section, I am most impressed by her willingness and dedication to my sister and to me as demonstrated by her jumping on an airplane to travel with both of us when we adopted.  In 2008, my sister adopted from Kazakhstan and stayed in country two months (!!!!) to complete everything, with my mother by her side, having never traveled internationally before.  When we traveled last year to Rwanda, she was her extremely competent self in packing for everyone and forgetting nothing, stepping up when needed, being extremely easy to get along with, and giving all of us a much needed smile or break when we needed it.

First night in Rwanda

There are many more wonderful things that could be said about my beautiful mother.  She does not meddle.  She does not complain.  She does not push her views or agenda or ways of doing things.  She would not always choose what we choose.

But she loves.  

And that has made all the difference.  

Happy Mother's Day, Mom.  

I love you!