From One Mother to Another

Today I am grateful for all that my own mom has taught me and continues to teach me in her own humble way. I am grateful for twenty years as stepmom to Arthur and Emily and 16 years as mom to Sam. Few things have taught me more about life than these two ongoing stints have.

Special thoughts and prayers today for those mothers on both ends of the spectrum of motherhood.
From those pregnant with their first child, to those grieving the loss of a child.

Here are Sam and I, for our annual Mother's Day picture that I require of him and that he humors me with. What's with the hair flips we both have going on?

How did he go from an infant weighing less than 5 pounds to a young man nearly a head taller than his mama? How quickly the years go, and how I both look forward to and dread two years from now when he will be closing in on his high school graduation and preparing to head off to college. 

I am proud of Sam, appreciative of the parenting job Darcy and I have shared well. I am more proud of the person Sam is, uniquely himself, full of teen-agey angst some days, yet always pretty level-headed and quietly gentle. You are such a gift in my life. I love you Sam.

And here is my mother Gertrude, now 87, for her church directory picture this past year. Looking good in blue! 

Mom first became a mother at 19. Now she is the matriarch of a family well over 100 in number. I wish I would have known Mom's mom. I barely remember her. She died when I was just 5. She lives on in my mom though, and Mom passed on to us some of the many traits her own mother passed on to her. 

Some of those may have been limiting in ways, but more of them were about strength, hard work, practicality, love of and respect for nature and life, faith, and things like creating with our own hands, playing some ball, enjoying music. And love of family. 

Happy Mother's Day Mom! Happy Mother's Day to all moms!