To My Mom.

I enjoy watching both my mother-in-law and my wife interact with my two children. My wife is a great mother. I have said before that is something that is both natural and learned. I think about again as tomorrow is special day in history. It is the day my mother was born. I am very thankful for my mother for obvious reasons; without her there would be no me; but it goes much deeper than that.
My mom was the cornerstone of my family. She was the most consistent, most dependable, most predictable, and the most loyal. She picked us up, dropped us off, fed us, clothed us, tucked us in, read us books, took us to church and worked a full time job. She never complained, never whined, was never late, and never called in sick. She was patient, kind, caring, compassionate, understanding, forgiving, and disciplined. She taught us lessons both in words and by her example. She always encouraged us to do our best and was always pleased when we did no matter the outcome. I love my mom.
My mom was special. She was the best mom in the whole wide world. I am because I had a mom and dad that cared for me more than anything in the world. I believe that the closest I could ever get to understanding God’s love for us is in the example my mom set for my sisters and me. God loves us unconditionally, despite the mistakes, the shortcomings, and hang-ups. My mom loves me unconditionally. All the things my mom did for me and my sisters was not because that was her job or what she was required to do but it was because she understood love and how to give it unconditionally. You hear soon to be moms and young moms say that it is hard because there is no directions manual to raising kids. I disagree; the Bible serves as a pretty good manual and the most important lesson to learn is the power of unconditional love. That doesn’t mean it will not be hard, but if you love unconditionally usually the hard parts are short lived.
Happy birthday mom. Thanks and I love you very much.