Family Matters

Mom. My favorite title aside from "wife". I LOVE being a mom. I understand that I am blessed to be one, and that I get a somewhat heightened experience in being one. I have given birth to beautiful daughters and have been extremely blessed in the literal sense to be a mother. But I have also been given the gift of loving and seeing potential in everyone. Because of this, I have been able to be "mom" to many, many more people than my own precious daughters. I am mom to around 600 students at my sweet little elementary school at any given time. I am mom to many young women who I have had the distinct privilege of serving and learning from in my church. I have been blessed to foster relationships with beautiful people much younger than myself who ask to call me mom because of the love we share. I relish being mom to all of them. And I gain important perspective because of it.

Me and my beautiful girls that I have given birth to.

Whether I am mom to someone through bloodlines or spirit, I recognize that in reality, we are ALL God's children. No matter who gives birth to each child, each one of us is on loan from God. Delivering and raising children is a privilege-a beautiful and exceptionally rewarding experience God gives to show us He loves us and trusts us to love each other and help each other through this life. Getting to raise God's children is icing on the cake of life. I love it. Every joy I find in motherhood is by the grace of God himself, and I am grateful for it.

I have a strong belief that God gave this earth mothers to give the love that he isn't physically here to give. He could have just placed us on the earth at will. But He gave us a way to get here and a way to grow and be nurtured. He gives us blessings to show He loves us constantly. I know there are hundreds of blessings that occur daily for our benefit that we don't ever see or know about, but He gives them to us because He is our Father and He loves us. Mothers carry that love from Him to His children. Some women are not able to be physical mothers. Some mothers neglect their own children. Some children are orphaned. All of us here are able to give love to God's children and serve His purposes in giving respite, comfort, love, selflessness and encouragement to all who need it. I feel blessed to play a tiny part in this.

Another aspect of this is the joy I accrue in finding people to love and care for. I have been blessed with so many wonderful, gentle, happy, amazing spirits in my life that I wouldn't have otherwise known if it hadn't been for my aptitude in mothering. I am not the best mother, or the most perfect mother, but I know how to love and see goodness. I know how to encourage and empathize. I LOVE being  mom. I love being mom to my girls. They are my joys. I love being "school mom" to all the children at school. I love being mom in Young Womens. I love being mom to my friends' children. I love being mom to people who enter my life and touch my heart, opening doors to Heaven when they ask me if they can please call me mom. I love you. I love being mom. Thank you for being a part of my life. I treasure this title. And I am grateful.