Mom!

Train up a child in the way they should go;

even when they are old they will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6

My mom is the best of the best! She raised me to respect others, to love people the way Jesus loves people, to clean up after myself, to take responsibility for my actions, to be independent, to have a passion for life, to have patience with people, to listen well, to be a good student.....the list could go on. Who I am today has been shaped quite extensively because of her. But here's something I've been thinking about recently (not, by any means, for the first time): I have a lot of moms. There are so many women who have poured into my life throughout the years: my stepmom, grandma, aunts, Sunday school teachers, friends' moms, youth group leaders, camp moms...again, the list could go on. I have been surrounded for my whole life by the most amazing women who have taught me more than I will ever fully realize. All of these women have cared about me enough to give me advice, invite me into their homes, include me in their comings and goings, pray for me, laugh with me, teach me life lessons, and even cry with me at times.

My mom never ceases to amaze me. She raised us four crazy kids, she taught us at home until we started college (sure, she gave us a little push to do Running Start so that college would come a bit earlier for us...), she ran us all over town for our various sports and play dates (do people still say that?) and youth groups, and she always, always modeled for us the love of Jesus. But one of the greatest gifts she has given me was letting these other women step in sometimes. Now, bear with me here, letting might sound a little controlling, but I think there's a certain grace that's needed to open up the door to your kids' lives and let other adults pour into them. And maybe I'm just being an oblivious kid here and thinking that my mom had absolutely no problem handing over the reins from time to time, but I think we all know that one parent that keeps their kids locked away (not literally!...I hope) so that they're the only ones who can have an influence on them. My mom was not one of those parents and I couldn't be more grateful to her for that (and my dad too, but this is about mother's day and moms so....for another time). 

I've done a lot of things in my life without my mom holding my hand the whole time. I think I'm naturally a pretty independent person (you wouldn't know it from the fact that I still live with my dad...but, again, for another time) and my mom has never tried to squelch that. She's supported all my big life decisions, even if she was maybe a bit apprehensive about some of them (like me going to Guatemala by myself for a year), and I don't know that she's ever told me I can't do something (as an adult, I'm sure as a child she told me I couldn't do a lot of things...like touch the hot stove). Basically, what I'm trying to say is that my mom is bomb.com and so is every woman who has taken the time to do life with me. 

Happy Mother's Day to you wonderful, wonderful women!! 

I am who I am today and I have the dreams and goals that I have because of who you are and the impacts that you have had on my life. There will never be enough words to express my gratitude.