Thank You, Mom

Perhaps it's easier to think about my own mom and how much I appreciate her considering that yesterday marked two weeks since she fell. She had surgery on her shattered shoulder April 27 and that week was a blessing to spend with her and dad. She's healing nicely but it'll be another month or so before things are back to normal.

My mom's always taken care of someone much like her own mother. When my older brother and sister were out the house, she had me to raise. Once I left the house, she had Dad. Now, her husband and children are taking care of her. It's a bit unnerving for her. The woman who's always fussed over everyone else now has to accept people helping her.
Yet, this is also a woman who's never flown in an airplane, never learned to drive, and never taken more than a handful of vacations. What she's never tasted, drank, seen, or done far outweighs what she has. Some could judge her for that. Yet, she's never worried about what she has not and only focused on making everyone around her comfortable.

We rarely appreciate our parents while we're young. More often, we're embarrassed or disappointed. I can remember Dad sharing with me many years ago about how he would get old Coke bottles and pretend they were trucks. It was one of those rare moments that he was reflecting on something while we were in the yard of his childhood home and chose to share it aloud. I laughed at the mental image. "It's all we had," he said with a twinge of hurt in his voice. I've since thanked him for sharing that and many other stories. As we grow older, we really appreciate stories and the imagination of others.

So, for this Mother's Day, I challenge you to appreciate your mom and her stories. It doesn't matter how you do it, so long as it's from your heart. Then, do the same for Father's Day. But let's not only appreciate them once a year. Do it as often as you can!

If only one of your parents are living, appreciate the other that much more. If both have passed, thank God for using them to bring you into this world and allowing you to have the memories of their care and love.

Lastly, moms, if you're feeling overwhelmed and underappreciated, the song below is for you. While its artist only gives an acoustic version in the video, I've included his lyrics below. Steven Curtis Chapman is one of the greatest gifts to music and I hope his words remind you of your significance, value, and importance.





You're up all night with a screaming baby
You run all day at the speed of life
And every day you feel a little bit less
Like the beautiful woman you are

So you fall into bed when you run out of hours
And you wonder if anything worth doing got done
Oh, maybe you just don't know
Or maybe you've forgotten

You, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
Making history with every touch and every smile
Oh, you, you may not see it now
But I believe that time will tell
How you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time

With every "I know you can do it"
Every tear that you kiss away
So many little things that seem to go unnoticed
They're just like the drops of rain over time
They become a river

And you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
Making history with every touch and every smile
Oh, you, you may not see it now
But I believe that time will tell
How you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time

You're beautiful
You're beautiful
How you're changing the world
You're changing the world

You, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
Making history with every touch and every smile
Oh, you, you may not see it now
But I believe that time will tell
How you, you are changing the world
Oh, I believe that you
You are changing the world
One little heartbeat
At a time

And you're changing the world