Aahh Mother's Day....

The one day a year to show extra appreciation for the Mom's in our lives. Sometimes its wonderful and sometimes it's not. This was an in between year for me. First I want to acknowledge the women who have been influential in my life.

First and foremost is my own mother. I could make a very long, sappy report on why she means so much to me, but it's been a long day. Suffice it to say, I couldn't and wouldn't want to live without her. She takes care of me just as much now as she ever has. She is my very best friend (next to my spouse) and I have more appreciation for her than I'm sure I ever tell her. The older I get, the more I find myself becoming just like her. And I don't mind it a bit.

Next would be my step-mother, JoAnne. So far from the wicked step mother so many fairy tales portray. She has been so loving and attentive to me and my family. I'm so grateful for her friendship and the blessing she has been to our family.

I have a mother in law who has accepted me into her family and not been judgemental or intrusive into our family. I feel very blessed to be a part of her family and to call them my own.

Going back a generation, I have wonderful grandmothers as well. My Grandma Whitley was so full of life and as I learn so much more about her, I realize I didn't know her that well at all. What I do remember is how wonderful her smile and laugh were. I wish I had spent more time with her while growing up.

My Grandma Manary is the ideal of what I want to be. I know she thinks I'm crazy, but I think she's wonderful. Some of my fondest childhood memories involve her. Her sweet and sassy and caring manner are absolutely heartwarming. She always had food going no matter what time of day or how many were coming. Her giggle is contagious and she's a blast to play games with. She has always taken care of those she loves and you're never in doubt of her love for you. I miss you Gram.

Now for my own family. I spent Friday night out with some good friends having girl time while the boys went to the Father's and Son's campout. It was a really nice night out. The next morning, my mom and my girls and I all went to breakfast and went shopping together. Time with mom is always good. Then this morning, we had breakfast as a family like we always do, then came the fun gifts from the kids. It's fun now that they are older and can do things on their own. Bo made me something from preschool, as did Brooklyn. Katy colored a card, Stephen cleaned my bathroom and wrote a sweet note and Whitley made a manicotti dish and had it in the freezer so I wouldn't have to cook today. We ate it for lunch. Dalin's is probably my favorite, even though he didn't actually give it to me. While camping, they were looking for crawdads in the creek. He found a dead one and took the pinchers off. He took them to Glade and said he wanted to take them home and make earrings out of them for me for Mother's Day. Glade wouldn't let him, but the thought was really touching. That he would even be thinking about me at that moment in time speaks volumes. Glade kind of bombed on this Mother's Day, but he does so good on others that it didn't really hurt my feelings. I know he loves me.

I also had to talk in church today. I don't do that well so, of course, it was a little stressful. I started off like I planned and then ended up not following what I wrote and felt like I was babbling along without many connected thoughts. As always, many people told me how great I did, but what are they going to say "you really sucked, I couldn't follow anything you were saying and it sounded like you were just rambling." In any case, I did it and it's over and hopefully someone got something out of it. Stephen came up to me after and told me he loved to hear me talk. That was nice. Bo and Katy sat on the bench with their pouty faces and teary eyes because they couldn't sit by me. After church, Bo was like a leech. When I asked him why he was being so sad, he said it was because he hadn't gotten to be with me all day. So after lunch, he and Katy and I cuddled up for our afternoon nap. Perfect. That's the kind of thing that makes ANY day good!

Happy Mother's Day!!