Sunday Snapshot: My Moms

Not every girl is blessed to have two Moms in their lives.

My Mom and "Other Dad" Helen and Andy

The one who birthed me is Helen and she is fun loving, giving, and feisty.

She wiped my nose and put band aids on my boo boo's.

She held my hair when I got sick after my first drink (and yelled at me while I had a headache...and cooked food and made me eat it...)

She dried my tears when my first boyfriend, Thomas, broke my heart.

She loves me unconditionally.

She is my Mom and I love her very much!

But I guess God knew that I was a special case and when I was 15 years old my parents divorced and about six months later my Dad started dating Darlene. Eleven years ago Friday she became my "Other Mother" (We hate the term Step-Mother you stand on a step, you love a Mother!)

My Dad and "Other Mom" Jack and Darlene

Lene became my friend first.

She took me places and listened when I talked.

She ran interference with my Dad for me.

She wiped my tears when my last boyfriend; before my husband man came along; broke my heart.

She treats me as if I were her biological child.

She loves me unconditionally.

She is my Mom and I love her very much!

Both of my Moms love my children, they kiss their boo boo's and they wipe their noses. They hold their hair when they are sick. They cook for us; they pray for us, they are amazing.

My Moms are so different. They have different interests and hobbies, they have different tastes in music, they have different styles in clothes, but they are both gifts from God and I praise His name everyday for seeing fit to bless me with two Moms. He blessed me with a great set of Dad's as well but father’s day will be here soon so I will save that post till then.

Sunday Snapshot: Sweet Sarah

In December of 1999 I became a mother for the first time. I will never forget the ride home from the hospital, it was less then 10 miles away from my house but I remember Mitchell going so slow and my heart jumping every time we hit a bump. I just didn't want anything to happen to her. She was so perfect and precious and my biggest fear was that something would hurt her. Now here we are over ten years later and I have learned so much from her.

Her smile lights up our home. She is such a loving girl. She is a straight A student, she loves the Lord and she is always waiting with a hug or a smooch on the cheek just when I need it.

She is stubborn. OH SO STUBBORN! (I have no clue where she gets that :-) She is an individual, when most girls are playing with their Barbie Dolls she is sorting her Bouncy Ball Collection.

She loves to read and she loves music...both traits that she inherited from me. But she also loves to be outside, throw ball, and ride her bike, just like her Dad.

As I look at her now I feel the same way I did sitting in the back seat of that car a decade ago, I know some bumps are coming...there is no stopping it. She is such a beautiful girl and in the last year she has stopped thinking boys were "gross" (well except for her brother) and she has a "boyfriend" now. I guess my fear is still the same; I don't want anyone or anything to hurt her. I know that hurt happens to us all and disappointments come. Just this month she competed in two Speech Contests, she won the first one and lost the second. She tried to act as if it didn't bother her but I looked into her big brown eyes and I knew just what she was feeling. I could almost see her thinking about what she should have done differently but I just wanted to hug her and make it go away. I don't want her to ever try to change who she is to please others.

On that cold December day a decade ago, I placed her in the car seat and her Dad buckled her in tightly. I tucked blankets in around her and made sure her head was supported. That was all we could do, we prepared her for the bumps and then we had to trust God to get us to our destination safely. That is exactly what we have done at this point in her life. We placed her in a home full of love and safety, we have tucked her into a church family that loves her and she buckled herself to Jesus by asking him to be her savior. Over the last few years I have tried to support her by teaching her what the Word of God says about how she should live her life. Now I have to sit back and prayerfully trust God to get us through the next decade safely. If I have learned anything as a parent it is that God loves her so much more than I can and His plan for her is perfect. Even more perfect than she was when I placed her in the car seat on a cold December day. My Sweet, Sweet Sarah.

Sunday Snapshot: A lesson taught by Colton

This weekend I had big plans...plans to celebrate belated birthdays, plans to spend my time in specific ways...they all fell through. Some snow and a very sick little boy put everything on hold.


I have to admit I was a bit agitated. I was frustrated and just wanted to pitch a fit. But last night as we rushed our very sick 7-year old to the Children's Hospital 30 minutes away on icy roads I realized that none of those little things matter.

We are home safe today. Colton has mono. We are just so thankful that God's hand of protection and provision was on us this whole weekend. He wasn't surprised by one thing that happened. He knew that my plans were not going to be kept. But He kept His hand on us during our trials.

 

Last night I took this picture of Mitchell and Colt in the hospital bed. (That face Colt is making is a face of frustration over my need to snap pictures at really bad times.) Just a few minutes before I took this picture Colton was lying by himself and he looked at me and said "Mom, you know, God is just awesome" I said "Why do you say that sweetie?" he said "Because He is Mom, He just really is!" You know if my son can choose to praise God in the hard times then by all means I will do the same.


GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME AND ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD!