Happy Mother's Day!

I am getting ready for a totally AWESOME Mother's Day. First off, I made a request for my own Mother's Day present. I not only got it, it got installed yesterday!

This is something I have wanted on this porch, basically ever since we owned the house. Of course, I wanted to new ceiling and we did that last summer. With everything being about Robert's house right now, I'm not asking for too many projects done on ours but was so thrilled when this got finished!  I have the tree that needs cut down scheduled to be and then I need to paint the porch and buy a new rug. I plan to get those things done myself this summer. Next year hopefully we can finish the entry way and the new flowerboxes I want in front of the house. Oh, and if you are driving by now, sorry about the weeds. Hopefully today Robert can help me get the weedeater started. It seems like the first time is the hardest and from then on, I can get it myself.  Anyway...


I have been thinking a lot about Mother's Day this weekend. I have a friend, who was an AWANA clubber of mine, that is experiencing her first Mother's Day. I got so tickled at the fact that she realized as excited as she was to be a mom, she now placed a lot more value on those mom's in her life. That brings me to my own mom. She is Awesome. I don't understand why God chose her to have all the trials in life He did but I do know He knew she would be like Job.

When I was growing up, she had strategically placed this poem right beside the front door.  Last week our preacher asked us if we prayed daily. That was so funny to me. I had been raised that God is with us, all the time. Who in their right mind would spend all day with someone and not speak to Him? I'm sure, because I am a talker, that there are times God wishes I would give Him the silent treatment. Just kidding, but I was taught at a very young age, that prayer changes things.

Oh, the poem, I have a copy of it...

I got up early one morning
And rushed right into the day!
I had so much to accomplish
That I didn't have time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me,
And heavier came each task.
"Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered.
He answered, "You didn't ask!"

I tried to come into God's presence;
I used all my keys at the lock.
God gently and lovingly chided,
"Why, child, you didn't knock!"

I wanted to see joy and beauty,
But the day toiled on, gray and bleak.
I wondered why God didn't show me.
He said, "But you didn't seek."

I woke up early this morning,
And paused before entering the day.
I had so much to accomplish
That I had to take time to pray!

My mom instilled in us that, because God was with us, we could pray anyplace, anytime. I learned over the years that starting off the day with prayer was best but I certainly never limited prayer time to morning, but that is my "big" prayer time. 

I have always had prayer in the morning and as Robert was growing up, I would pray with him before he walked out the door to school. We continued this right up through college. In fact, the morning Andrew lost his job, Robert declared it was because of what I had prayed about. As hard as all of that was to accept. God did answer a prayer there.

As I was saying though, it is because my mom instilled the importance of a relationship with God. My relationship has grown through the years from reading My Daily Bread really quickly and having pray to getting up early enough now that I don't have to worry about time. At a minimum, my first half hour of the day is with my Lord. And again, I thank my mom.

We had always went to church, to the church that my Great, great, however many, granddad had helped establish. My granddad had helped build onto and my own dad helped rebuild after a fire. Life was good. But it would have been so easy for my mom to turn her back when God took Dad away from her. Then just 11 months later, she ended up in the hospital for three months and came home with one arm and hand that would never be the same, let alone the fact that she had several feet of her bowels removed, which still complicates life to this day. She didn't turn her back though, she clung to Him. She taught me that God was good in the good time but God is AWESOME in the bad time. Learning that and really knowing it gives you a sense of peace in times of trial that nobody can take away from you.

So, I am looking forward to this awesome weekend. Today, Mom and I are taking my dogs to the groomers and doing some shopping. Tomorrow, she is coming down and the guys are fixing us steaks on the grill and then Monday, she is going with me to Springfield to see Dr. Peterson. I am so thankful I still have her and she is able to do all these things. I know the day will come that she can't. 

As I close to get ready for the day, I want to wish every one of my friends and family a Happy Mother's Day. If you are a mom, congrats, but celebrate those ones in your life that are YOUR moms.

The greatest gift my mom gave to me was sharing her love of Christ. I believe the greatest reward I get from that happens every time I am having a bad day and Robert texts me and says, "I'll be praying for you, Mom" and I know he means it.

Happy Saturday and Happy Mother's Day!