Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful women out there! I just want to share some of the most influential and lovely ladies in my life. They have been such blessings to me in so many ways. It's hard to put into words.

My mom, Carol: She is probably the most patient person that I know. Not kidding. She puts up with so much crud from us, it's kind of ridiculous. I would love to say that I have always stood up for her or defended her from the teasing and ridiculing. But, in truth, I was one of the worst culprits growing up. I still think about things I did or said to my mom when I was younger and phew....let's just say that Trafton would get a serious beating from his daddy if he ever said them to me. She is so smart and so good at what she does for a living; she takes her time with patients at work and sacrifices her own time at home to make sure that people are taken care of. It doesn't stop there though. When she gets home, she continues to put others' needs before her own.

Mema: This is my dad's mom, who passed away several years ago. Even though she's gone, I still feel a connection to her. Not to get all freaky, but sometimes I can almost feel her spark and spirit inside of myself. My daddy once told me that I remind him alot of Mema. This is one of the best things anyone has ever said to me. She didn't take crap from anyone, but she loved people. She loved to sing and dance and just be silly.

Jenn: This is one of my dearest friends who now lives in Greenville. If it were up to me, they would live in our spare bedroom. I hate that she is far away. There are so many times where I am happy about something or in tears and upset when I think "I wish Jenn were here. She would understand." Chris will testify: he hears me say I miss her constantly and he is amazed by the voicemails that we leave each other. You know when you leave a 2 minute long message on someone's phone and you actually start asking them questions? Then you remember that it's a voicemail and it can't talk back? Yeah, that's the kind that we leave each other. Between babies and work, it's hard for us to get in touch alot of the time. But whether it's venting about our husbands, comparing notes on children, or just catching up, I always know that I can say anything to her and she will understand and not judge. I love her, her family, and her parents dearly.

Angela:  I have written about this sweet lady before, but I can't say enough about her and her family. Even though they just recently came into our lives, Chris/Trafton/I are so thankful for them. Angela takes care of T. three days a week, but has also become one of my closest friends. I love to bounce things off of her and get mommy advice. She faithfully prays for us and is so understanding when I have to switch days on her or leave Trafton late into the afternoon. And I can't describe how much we value Angela and Terry as a couple. Terry can make us laugh until our sides hurt. So not only did God give us a great sitter, we also were blessed with a family of friends too.

Susan: This sweet lady was my Young Life leader in high school. I know that God would have gotten His hands on me one way or another, but Susan played a HUGE part in it. He used her patience and love to really speak to me. She took me to a Young Life camp when I was 15 and I discovered redemption through Jesus. It was exciting and confusing all at one time, but Susan would sit and answer my questions late into the night. Although we don't talk alot anymore, I still have such a deep love and appreciation for her leading me to Christ.

Debbie: I am honored to work with this lady every day. Last week, Debbie had to miss three days because her oldest son was graduating college. (Yay, JJ!) I had a terrific sub, but I missed my mama :) You know when you laugh so hard that it hurts OR you laugh until no sound comes out? That's what she makes me do sometimes. On the flip side, I have cried to her and her eyes well up with empathy. She is so understanding and so NONjudgemental. She is just the kind of person that I need working alongside me in my classroom.

Joy: Have you ever seen the movie "Monster In Law"? Jane Fonda plays a conniving, vicious mother in law who refuses to let go of her son and refuses to love his new wife. Yeah, this is pretty much the opposite of Joy. She not only cares for Chris and Trafton, she also cares for me. She is soft-spoken and a wonderful listener (um, the opposite of me! I am trying to learn from her.) and she truly has a servant's heart. Each day when I pick Trafton up, she always asks me how I'm feeling or how my day was. And she's not asking to be nice; she truly cares and wants to hear. She folds our laundry (one of my LEAST favorite things to do) and washes dishes (I hate stoneware....why can't they make some that runs through the dishwasher?!) for us.

Thank you, Lord, for placing these special mamas in my life. I hope some of their goodness will rub off on me. :)