What My Mother Gave Me For Mother's Day!

Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever. ~Author Unknown

My mother gave me many things. It's funny how becoming a mother myself made me begin an adult lifetime of understanding my mother more and more. Here is how she Mothers and Grandmothers! :)

My mother is a gentile Southern lady. She lives with family up north now and I don't get to see her like I used to and that makes me all the more cognizant of what she has given me.

My Mother Gave Me:

1) Unconditional Love. My parents were united in the front that we were raised to tow the line. And even when we didn't, our mother loved us any way. Although we typically stayed in line - I feared my Daddy too much! ;) She loved our Daddy much, too!

2) Knowledge that Family Is Everything. My mother lived this out. Everyday she lived her life in such a way that Family was first i.e. everything. This still rings true to me today.

3) Fortitude. Fortitude: : strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage I am thankful to my Mother for this trait, it serves me well as life moves along. At the young age of 46, she had the "opportunity" to show us this as our Daddy died unexpectedly - she has been a rock! Though it was so difficult for her - after 25 years of marriage, and suddenly she was raising 5 children alone. Fortitude!

4) Cooking skills. Man could she cook! And often she did! Like three meals a day often! My mother fed us well and often. She had great recipes and everything was made from scratch. No semi-homemade here.

5) Smile often and much! My mother is known for her smile. She may not say anything but her smile says it all.

6) Courage! My mother showed me courage. She always believed in me and that gave me a great deal of courage of my own. She always encouraged me to have courage and pursue my dreams! To believe!

7) She believed in me! I was in 7th Grade when my mother a brilliant lady herself, asked me to help her write a Thank You note. Talk about a smart woman - I took such pride in "helping" her. She knew I loved writing. She knew that believing in me would make me believe in myself all the more!

**BONUS: She believed in Jesus! My mother's faith has been so strong through the years. She has had an unwavering faith in our Lord. That has led the way for me and many others. Weather she is praying with us each night or giving us over to Him each day. She is a woman of faith! I am thankful for this rock in my own Christian walk.

I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. ~Abraham Lincoln



Happy Mother's Day Mommy! :) I love you!


Love your Mother and honor her this Mother's Day!

Warmly, Carolina Mama

Mother Can Hear Me Today

Mother's Day 2010

My mother heard my voice today...

"Mommy, I love you!" "Thank you for everything you have done for us - all five of us children!" "By the way, I'm still wondering how on earth did you do it!?! ... I'm proud of you!

Our Family with Baby #5 On the Way


"Thank you for all those music lessons. Bible stories. Paying all of those college phone bills when I called you collect and we talked for hours! Thanks to you and Daddy, you not only paid for college, you made sure I finished. You believed in me.

For Nightly prayers. Amazing homecooked meals. All the things I now know you did behind the scenes to take care of a family of 7!

"For believing in me and letting me know you thought I was smart and brave. Letting me know you liked my boldness and way with words... even though there were times... :)

"For telling me I"d be a great doctor, lawyer, wife, mom, writer! Whatever I aspired to do!

"You're right, our hands are full with the Twins. Still!" "And yes, we would not have it any other way!" Like you, I still try to figure out how to stop Father Time. I"ve tried your method of setting a single brick on top of their heads to see if they would stop growing so rapidly. Okay, two! ...

"You know I think they will take after Daddy - at the rate they are going they may be 6'5" They may win every case they argue in Court one day too. :) [like someone else you know]

"Southern Belle that I am, I never took to ironing. In fact, recently I ruined a brand new blouse - before ever wearing it - I tried ironing...! Maybe some things are left undone or to you! You could do everything! I'm better at the cooking and thanks to your example, I love it!

"Thank you for teaching us etiquette - I was listening and I'm glad because believe me, today it's golden!

You did things not only for our family but for our community. You directed VBS, you often worked behind the scenes even in our community. Like helping the handicapped children's association, making sure our suburban town had a convention and visitor's bureau for its many amazing events in the New Orleans area, like making beautiful music those many years in the pops and orchestra.

You followed Daddy and helped conserve and save the land and water in our mighty marshes of Louisiana. You traveled to South America to share your bright smile and message of Christ and love to the children there where your eldest daughter was a missionary.

You made sure every young Bride and young Mother in our community had a gift and homecooked dish from our family. I was watching you. I'm proud of you.

I'm proud of you and your courage, your character, your style, your love, your being our rock!

Proud of you for making our family proud. Proud of your self-conrol to never say a thing untoward about our Daddy. Proud of your marriage "til death do us part! Proud of your love and respect of marriage and family.

"We miss you! ... It was so great to see you last Summer... Hope you're feeling better real soon!"

"The Tigers are going to sing you their duet from the Spring Musical now..."

"We love you!"

Love always, Your Pink Friend

_________________________________________

It occurred to me this Mother's Day, she can hear our voices today. It was 29+ :) years ago that I heard her voice. I could hear her words, her singing and feel her hugs! I heard her voice before I had a voice of my own.

Now, she hears my voice. It was the Spring before Katrina blasted the City of New Orleans - that my precious mother took rapidly ill. A brain biopsy. Some of the world's best doctors seeking to diagnose - an attempt at radiation with a hope it would cure - at which time Katrina appeared.

Hospitalized the duration of Katrina, air lifted off the roof of her hospital at 3am with my sister still in the city. More stories there. Many miracles there.

Today, she is still here and in a twisted way, I feel like she is here and she isn't. You see she can hear me, I can't hear her.
She scarcely has a voice of her own. My mother has my sister, my brother and his family with her - even though we are in her home state just a few miles from where she married my Daddy years ago - we are miles from them.

Time does march on ... believe me I'd love to have put a brick on all of our heads prior to the Spring of 2005.

Yet life isn't like that and I am thankful for all we have today. Even if my mother can only hear me.

Because every day, I hear her in the life she has lived and is living still. The life she lives even in her strength through these past five years and the smiles she still shares when I see her.

Happy Mother's Day Mommy! I can hear you... in the life you've well-lived.


Warmly,