Mother

My Mother:

Is truly the most amazing person I have ever known. I remember a couple of days after I had Hayden, and she told me to go lay down for a nap. When I woke up a little while later, she had made dinner, plus a meal to put in the freezer, had taken care of my child, had made an apple pie, and had cleaned up. I realized right then and there that I would never be the kind of woman my mother is. She is probably the most effective person there is. If she has something to get done, she can get it done like no one else.

My mother held us together for the first week of both of my children's lives. Ironically, Hayden came 2 days before his due date and that just happened to be the day my mother was coming into town to help out. This time around she just happened to schedule her flight to help us two days before my due date again, and again I had my baby that day. :) After having Hayden I realized the value of her help, and trust me, lots of prayers were offered asking that this baby be ready to come to us by the time she got here, because I knew I needed every day of help she could offer.

While here my mother:
-cleaned my house top to bottom
-took care of Hayden
-took Kyra in the middle of the night after I fed her
-drove me to every place we needed to go (store, doctor, etc)
-cleaned my house top to bottom...in less than 3 hours! (why does it take me an entire day??)
-did my laundry...I'm sure at least 10 loads
-organized my room
-prepared, served, and cleaned up every meal we ate
-made and froze 4 meals for us
-left 2 meals in the fridge (a stew I just had to throw on the crock pot, and enchiladas I just had to pop in the oven)
-was my emotional crutch through the first week of pain and adjustment (burning stitches, cramps, nursing soreness)
-ran on less than 5 hours of sleep constantly
-a million more things I'm sure I didn't notice

My mother is the most selfless person I have ever met. I am amazed by how much she constantly gives to her children...even as adults. She had 10 children without drugs (the first 4 in 4 years...can you imagine a 3, 2, and 1 year-old, and a baby!?!), and worked for 35 years to get us all raised. My mother is also the most talented person I have ever met. She is a baker/cake decorator (owned a bakery for a while, and now has a baker's kitchen in her basement), and is very artistic. She was valedictorian of her high school and voted 'most likely to succeed.' I'm sure the world looks at her life and thinks that she wasted a lot of good talent, but I don't think you can have any greater success than being a great mother. She succeeded in my book, and if she doesn't qualify for sainthood, NO ONE should. She is what every person should get to think of when they hear the word 'mother.' I am so grateful that she is my mother and for her lifetime of giving and love.

I hope that I can give to my family even a portion of what my mother gave, and gives, to hers.