Mother's Day 2009

I bet you thought I was DEAD…well, I’m not. Just takes a lot more out of a 50 (Okay, I’m 51) year old to move than a younger more able bodied woman!
We are here…in my TANGERINE HOME. Yes, it is already home to us.
We will be attending a Russian church start so all that Russian language study was not for naught!
I’ve made new friends already (not that they replace the old…and NOT that the old are OLD!)
I’ve met both IMB personnel and nationals who are very sweet and helpful. Our location is fantastic and I had no idea…I guess the Lord knew and gave me this handful on purpose. I love it!
Excited about the days ahead…language study, learning more about the culture here, making more friends, ministering to Russian and Czech alike, and the seeing all my friends who tell me that they are coming to visit!

These precious people make me a MOM

Well, tomorrow is Mother’s Day…how could I not write about that?
I love being a mom…the best job in the world!!!
For some reason the Lord saw fit to give me the BESTEST sons in the world…and now they have brought us home two of the BESTEST girls in the world.
MOM is a wonderful, wonderful word.
What a joy to be called MOM (or MIL (stands for mother-in-love) by my daughters-in-love!)

This year I’ll not be with my children. It isn’t as hard as it might sound because I have magnificent memories of Mother’s Days past.

I could share so many…
My first Mother’s Day when Christopher was just eight months old. How thrilling it was to actually finally be a mom celebrating the day!
All the Sunday mornings when the boys would wake me up with breakfast in bed (with the help of their dad!)
The heart shaped crystal studs (that I wore just the other day and still love!)
The perfume (we will not talk about that Mother’s Day gift!)
Home made cards.
Home made jewelry (from Christopher…he has always loved making me things!)
The Mother’s Day when Daniel stayed up into the wee hours of the morning making me a special Mother’s Day program on the computer.
The first Mother’s Day when I got a card from a girl (Katie Girl!)
Many, Many marvelous memories…

But the one that stands out the most is the Mother’s Day when I received a ragged African violet. We were in Kharkov, Ukraine and going to have a worship time with the missionaries on Mother’s Day evening. I bought an African violet for the kids to give to each mom. They all were in perfect shape.
At some point during the SHORT time when the kids left the room to get the plants for their moms and come back in one of them got turned upside down and smashed.
This smashed plant is the one I received. I had no idea what had taken place…just minutes before all the violets were beautiful and now this one was dying in front of my eyes and my sons had chosen it to give to me…what was up with that?

I caught Christopher’s eye with a questioning look and could tell that I should say nothing until later. On the way home I asked the boys about the plant.
They explained that one of the girls had turned the plant she had picked for her mom upside down…they quickly gave her mine to give to her mom.

Jonathan explained further…
He said, “Mom, we knew you wouldn’t want her mom to have a messed up plant and we knew you had us for your gift!”

Yes, the Mother’s Day that the boys realized that they were GIFT enough was my best Mother’s Day ever…so far, NOW if they wanted to all come and see me at one time…that might take precedence over this memory and become the BEST MOTHER’S DAY EVER!!!

I’m so thankful that God allowed me to be a MOTHER.
I’m thankful for my mom too. What a blessing she STILL is to me daily. The best!!!
Also thankful for a wonderful Mother-in-Love who loves me like her own!
Thankful, too, for the "MOM friends" the Lord has given me. They have taught me much about “mothering!”

I’m one blessed MOM!!!

I've enjoyed every stage and age...

now we get girls in the mix!!!