Dear Mom,

My first Mother's Day is coming to an end. Just hours away from it being another Monday. I've purposefully spent the day not posting anything because just throwing something up on Facebook didn't seem right to me. There's too much going through my new-mom head that now telling you, "Happy Mother's Day" doesn't feel adequate.

Here's the truth. I have learned being a mom is hard work. Being a woman is hard work. Being a working mom is hard work. It is down right hard work all the way around! A lot of times (not always though) these positions are unappreciated, under valued, non-glamorous, dirty, tiring, and frankly mind exhausting. The greatest roles I'm now playing don't pay a dime. They don't come with a vacation or signing bonus. They don't come with a training course or a step-by-step manual. The most all-encompassing job for any mother and wife is strictly Learn As You Go 101. They are two jobs that are meant to be structured on years of watching, learning, and praying.  Daily, I'm recalling memories that I thought I had long forgotten of things that you have done as a mom and wife that have helped me be a better mom and wife. 

That's what a TRUE mother does. You, the matriarch of the family, lead us. Teach us. Care for our wounds both visible and invisible. Offer your stored up wisdom and quietly send us on our way. Maybe faintly whispering to yourself, I have done my very best, now go and grow. 

And grow I have.

Being a mom has made me a better wife. The love I have for my son is a feeling I never thought possible. I only want the best for him in all things, and I realize that if I feel this way about my son, Polly feels the same way about Shawn. She would only want the best for her baby boy, and that's what I want to offer him. 

Thank you for loving us kids. Thank you for volunteering for less sleep, more headaches, and endless chores. Thank you for coming home from a long day of work and still cooking dinner. Thank you for making birthdays special, achievements memorable, and Quality Time a family practice.  Thank you for fueling our goals and dreams with confidence. Thank you for showing me what really is important, what not to worry about, and recognizing the difference. 

Thank you for being an example of a God centered mom and wife! 

Thank you, God, for giving my mom to me!

Long story short....

I am what I am because you love me.