Happy Mother’s Day! I’m looking forward to Sunday and looking back on my motherhood. I celebrated my first Mother’s Day 30 years ago this year! Expecting my first child was terrifying. I wondered what my child would look like, what he would find interesting, and how I would teach him to find his place in the world. After my son was born, I quickly realized that at least for the first couple of years, I would give all my time and energy to my baby. When my daughter came, the cycle started again—only this time with the helpful support of my 6-year-old—the best big brother in our little family!
Many moms are generous givers, but some moms need a little practice being receivers. I recently caught part of a sermon on being receivers. The sermon got me thinking about a past Bible study that shared a story about Mary and how she received the gift of God’s child, the baby Jesus: “Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true” (Luke 1:38). Mary was receiving the blessing of this gift from God with grace and humility. Sometimes, I get so caught up in what I'm supposed to be giving as a mom. Mother's Day is a great day to take the opportunity to show God how grateful I am to receive the blessings of l my children.
My children are 29 (son) and 23 (daughter) before their birthdays this year. Reflecting on being a mom, I find that I have received a multitude of blessings for every moment of labor I invested in my children. I wasn’t a perfect mom, and I still have to work at it, but I am also on the receiving end of great love and friendship from my now adult children. What joy to watch them pursue their own career paths and relationships with God! This year, I look forward to Mother's Day--not because being a mom is something I have done, but because of the blessings I have received through the gifts of my children.
Similarly, my mom has given me the support and encouragement to pursue my life paths. Through her influence, I learned the importance of modeling desired behaviors for my children. Having a great mom is yet another blessing I have received! Thank you, mom!
Jake, me, & Maggie
Me & Mom
This year, I hope you will receive the blessings of motherhood and this message from Julie and me. You are amazing and wonderful!
Wow, it is almost Mother’s Day 2023. The last Mother’s Day I was able to celebrate with my mom was in 2020, so this will be my third Mother’s Day without her.
My mom was diagnosed with gallbladder cancer on April 23, 2020, which happens to be my birthday, and so, Mother’s Day 2020, wasn’t a normal Mother’s Day celebration. It was in the midst of Covid, and my mom was not feeling well, but it was the last real holiday we had before she passed away on June 22, 2020.
I miss my mom every day, but on Mother’s Day this year, I just want to focus on the good memories, the joyful times, and all of the happy things! I want to eat ice cream because my mom LOVED ice cream, and I want to go for a walk in the sunshine because my mom LOVED to go for walks, and I want to go to church because my mom LOVED Jesus! I want to celebrate her influence in my life this Mother’s Day!
I also want to celebrate being a mother. I have two amazing children, and they will be 25 and 23 years old this year. God blessed me by allowing me to be their mom, and I thank Him every day for that! It’s crazy to think that I was 25 years old when I had my first born son, which means I have spent half of my life being a mom. That’s pretty cool!
Michelle mentioned Mary, the mother of Jesus, in her writing. It’s pretty amazing to read in the Bible about Mary and her son. There are two verses in Luke that really seem to exemplify the mother-son relationship to me. After the shepherds had been visited by angels and then they went to see the Christ child, Luke 2:19 says, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Then, after 12-year-old Jesus had been at the Temple and his parents had finally found him, Luke 2:51 says, “But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.” I just love that! Mary loved her son, and she knew who He was, so she had a lot to ponder and a lot to treasure!
I find myself pondering my relationship with my mom and my relationship with my boys, and I want to thank God for such glorious treasures! He is so good to me!
Here’s a picture of my mom and me:
Here’s a picture of my boys and me:
Happy Mother’s Day!
Love,
Michelle and Julie
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