Happy Mother's Day!

TO ALL MOTHERS (PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL):
     I know Mother's Day is still a few weeks away, but "now" is always a great time to not only honor our mothers, but to celebrate the fact that we are mothers. The day you became a mother is a special day for you, in whatever way it happened or how many times over. It’s the first time you met your child. How many other people have you met in your life that you can remember the exact day and time you first saw them? Knew how tall they were and how much they weighed, down to the ounce? Counted their fingers and toes, knew the circumference of their head? I bet there aren’t too many.
     Though being a mother doesn’t bring a lot of verbal "thank you’s," it is a very important profession. One that can provide you with the greatest form of flattery - imitation. Don’t get me wrong. The cards, the gifts, the paper roses, the hugs, are all great and I treasure them. But for me, I get the biggest thrill when one of my children takes something that I do, copies it, and makes it their own. Like when my 11-year-old wants to add one more thing to our already full weekend and says to me, "OK, I’ve got a plan." (He’s so grown up.) Or when we’re leaving Wal-mart and I ask my daughter where she parked and she says, "Straight out the door close to the buggy thing." (That’s my girl!  No wandering around the parking lot!) Granted my oldest son doesn’t find very many things I do to be imitation-worthy right now, that’s alright. Not everything an almost-40-year-old woman does should be considered cool by an almost-17-year-old boy. It’s just a phase. We had our moments when he was younger, and we will have them again. He did tell me, since I was making him go to school every day, that during his boring class he is making something beautiful for me he thinks I will love. I’m so excited!
     I read somewhere once that my job as a parent is not to raise a rule-following child, but a God-following adult.  I am both blessed and scared to know that my children learn by example. They are not perfect, and the Good Lord knows I am not a perfect mama.  My two oldest asked Jesus to be their Savior at a young age, and I believe He will come to my youngest when the time is right.  That should make my ultimate goal as a mother to be having a walk with the Lord that my children can see and will want for themselves. I want to always search His Word and seek His guidance in everything I do. I want to give Him praise and thanks out loud, and to tell others what He has done for me. I want them to see and hear me pray. My kids have all told me when they prayed about something at school. A test, trouble with friends, someone who is sick or has been hurt. They have prayed that the "bad guys" be kept out of their room so they can not be scared  and have a good night's sleep.  I guess I could learn from them in that regard.
     So for all you women, whether you be a mom, a grandmother, an aunt, a close friend, or the little old lady at church - Happy Mother’s Day! Or should I say, Happy "Thank you for being a Christian example that my children can follow" Day!