Mom, you were and are the best mom God could’ve given me.
Thank you for always being there in my life and always looking out for me.
Dear Mom,
I’ve pondered what to give you on Mother’s Day. I’ve never been a good gift giver because most of the time I have no idea what month it is, much less what day it is. You can thank your grandkids for that. By the time I realize it’s Mother’s Day, I get fussy over all the hype and the pestering from the kids and Chris because most of the time I don’t want anything, I just want to be left alone. Other than a good night’s sleep and not being asked to find [homework, socks, keys, favorite hoodie, milk] or maybe an entire warehouse of coffee, I never think about it.
The other reason why I’m not a good gift giver is because most Mother’s Day occasions we weren’t on the best of terms. Either you said something that offended me, or did something, or didn’t do something, because I was too busy being self centered. I was too busy being a kid. I was too busy seeing things from my side. Every single one that I can remember. I was too busy trying to hold onto you and push you away at the same time. I was too busy learning how to fly. I was too busy being a hormonal teenager who’s world was ripped apart by divorce. I was too busy hurting to see it had hurt you too. I was too busy struggling to get through school with my sensitive soul. And I was too busy placing blame on you because you’re the one who moved to us a new state to give us and you a fresh start!
Then I grew up and got married, had kids, and they grew into teens. And over the last few years, I had an epiphany: You were and are the best mother any child could have. I just didn’t realize it. I was too busy growing up to realize you were growing up with me.
I didn’t see the 80 hour work weeks.
I didn’t see how you sacrificed to give us a new home.
I wasn’t paying attention how you scrimped and saved to give us the best you could afford as a single mom.
I didn’t see the late nights you spent worrying about me.
I didn’t see the tears cried behind closed doors.
I didn’t see all the preparations, the lists, and the schedules.
I didn’t see the stretch marks of labor and the long nights of taking one breath at a time.
I never saw the marks of anxiety or the heaviness you carried as you raised me.
But, now that I’m a mom in the middle years of raising babies, I realized that you’re human–super human.
I didn’t realize that as I was growing up, so were you. I didn’t realize you were learning with me along the way. While you were trying to figure out how to reach my heart, I was trying too. And while I was experiencing brand new things in different stages, so were you. You didn’t have all the answers, but you tried. It was often messy, painful, loud, confusing, and exhausting.
I never thanked you for all those extra shifts you picked up or the fact you put yourself through school to give us a better life because all I could see was your absence. I never thanked you for praying over me nor have I ever thanked you for all the sacrifices and your immeasurable patience to my impatience.
So here goes.
Thank you for always being there in my life and looking out for me. Thank you for making me feel special and encouraging me to chase my purpose and calling along the way. I know these are things moms are supposed to do, but I don’t think anyone else could have reached my heart like you do. Thanks to you, I always had more than what I needed or wanted. You found a way to give me safety, security, and a place to call home. Thank you for giving me the space to be, become, grow, and be me.
I never thanked you for the chores you did for me. Now that I’m a mom, I never realized all the work that went in behind the scenes for special days like Easter, Christmas, birthdays, and every mundane day on the calendar too. I never realized until I became a mom how it was you who put the magic in the holidays.
Thank you for everything. Because of you, I know how to give to everything to my kids and when to hold back. Thank you for all the extras too. Like just because tokens of appreciation, for believing in my dreams, for pushing me to get through college with a baby and a full time job. Thank you for all the laundry washed, prayers prayed, the late nights spent hunting for the perfect dress, for the midnight conversations about my own kids.
And now that I have three kids who know how to push my buttons, I silently send up a prayer thanking God you didn’t throttle me. Especially now that I know how you feel! 🙂 Instead, you showed me how to parent and I needed that most. Thank you for being in my corner when I need to vent about “Avocado moments,” hormonal teens, sick kids, and all. Now that we’re closer than ever, I wanted to give you something to remind you that you were, and still are the best mom. I wanted to put this words on paper so that you have these words close by especially when you’re on the road, or when you’re lonely, or when I can’t answer your calls. I want you always know that I love you and cherish the relationship we have now. Whenever I see my kids to something new, or achieve their goals, or I get a chance to connect with their hearts–I want you know that I am thinking of you. I want you to always know that I love you and cherish you more than life itself. Thank you for doing your best.
Love ever and always.
-H
If you have one of the best moms in the world, click here to download 9 Beautiful Prayers to Prayer Over Your Mom On Mother’s Day and Everyday.