Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day. A day set aside to honor our mothers. Rightfully so. Most people I know have great memories and relationships with their moms. I do. I had two wonderful grandmas. Totally different, but they loved me very much. They prayed for me and set a godly example of being a wife and mother. One worked outside the home and also preached the gospel. The other, never worked outside the home and prayed for me daily. Blessed. My mom, taught me how to love my children, make a house into a home, taught me the values of being kind to others, and faith in God. Priceless.

Being a mom is one of the greatest joys of my life! For two reasons: Eric Scott Deems and Brent Matthew Deems. Parenting these boys has taught me so much in life! I learned humility, when I missed it as a parent; I learned unconditional love when they kept me up night after night after night; I learned patience as they went through school and had the essays and papers and reports and band practices and tee ball, little league, science fairs, book fairs, trips to the zoo, playing in the yard and I could go on and on!

When they left for college, it was very difficult for them not to “need” me on a daily basis. But, you get used to it over time. However, my life is always a little brighter when I get that call, or funny text, or occasional card in the mail from one of them. Because they live 7 hours away from me, the times we are together is priceless. As they have grown from little boy, to young man, to man, I couldn’t be more proud of the men they have become. God never ceases to amaze me as He reveals His ways in their lives.

Have we known heartache? You bet. Betrayal? At its finest. Hurt? Oh my. But through it all, I always pointed them to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Were there times I had to step back and let them fall? Yes. Was it painful? Yes. Are we all better for it? Absolutely! If we never struggle, we never know our strength. If we never struggle – we are worth nothing! If you break the egg for a baby chick, instead of letting it break out of the shell with it’s legs, it will NEVER be strong enough to stand on its own.

Biggest lesson of motherhood thus far? You have to let go and release them to their destiny, and trust the foundation you gave them will carry them through. You have to learn to be quiet and not give your opinion always. You have to learn to respect their opinions when it is different from yours; knowing, you yourself did the same thing to your parents at some point. We don’t want to raise clones, but rather sons and daughters who grow up to be fathers and mothers who raise up sons and daughters to know the Truth of God’s Word. In this time of compromise, political correctness and deception, I am so thankful for the foundation I was given, and in turn gave to my children, which in turn will be passed on to their children. I have hope! I have peace! I have joy – even though my children are far from my home, they are never far from my heart. I am so thankful for the relationship I have with each of my boys. God has truly blessed me!

What if you did not raise your children in a godly home? Psalm 46:11 “The Seed of the Righteous Shall be Delivered” – I have a whole entire blog on that – look it up. :)

So on this mother’s day, I am blessed. I always hoped my children would rise up and call me blessed – as the scripture says, and I got that very scripture in a print in the mail yesterday.

My two favorite songs as a momma are Roots and Wings and Lullaby. I have linked them here.