My Mom

Today is my mom’s birthday! This blog is all about encouraging mothers, and since it is my mom’s birthday, I want to talk about her.

My mommy and I. You can see how much she loves me in this picture. 

My mom is amazing. I’m pretty sure that everyone who knows her, likes her. That is because she is so good at loving people. She is very much a people person and has a deep, compassionate heart, especially for those who are helpless and hurting.

My mom, of course, isn’t perfect. And I have some memories that are hard. For the first 12 years of my life she struggled with an alcohol addiction. When I was 12 she found Jesus and was completely delivered from alcoholism and never went back. There were still some wounds from those hard years that took some time to heal, but we have a very good relationship now.

My mom has shown me how to be a mother. Even when she was a victim of addiction, she always took care of us the best that she could. She showed me how to sacrifice for my children. She and my father both worked hard all their lives to provide for us. She encouraged my brother and I to take interest in positive, healthy things. She took us to many Christian concerts when we were teens and encouraged us in our faith. She supported whatever extracurricular activity we were involved in, whether it be a sport or drama or band. 

She showed me how to be a good wife by sticking with my dad through thick and thin. She showed me how to take care of people. She showed me love.

When I think about the impact that my mom has had on my life, it reminds me of the awesome responsibility that I have of impacting my children’s lives.

Maybe you have some really good memories of your mother. Maybe you have some really hard memories of your mother. I was talking with a friend about how people tend to either follow in their parents’ footprints or completely go the other direction. 

I just want to encourage you to use all the memories of your mother to help you in your mothering journey. If the memories are good, you learn from them how to parent. If the memories are bad, you learn from them how not to parent. They all can teach us. 

I want to thank my mommy for always trying to do the best that she could for us. That’s all any of us can do!

Blessings and love, 

Lee