Sunday, May 13, 2012

The greatest love of all . . .



Being a mom wasn’t high on my priority list when I was a growing up but all that changed instantly on March 29, 1986 at 4:24 am. Before my precious little baby girl was laid in my arms, I could not imagine loving anything so fiercely. At that moment, I knew that I would willingly give my life for this little girl. And in so many ways I have. I haven’t climbed tall buildings, dodged speeding cars, or taken a stray bullet but have simply chosen to put my life and wants on hold. I am much like many of the other moms in the world. We eagerly put our children first. We run lunch money to the school despite not having had time to shower. We change sheets in the middle of the night although we have the flu too. We don’t believe the dreaded “I hate you” and love our children even and especially when they are being unlovable. We quickly run to the library before closing for a much needed book in order to finish a procrastinated project. We wait all day in the rain and cold to cheer our child as she runs a 12 second sprint on the track. We eat at McDonald’s more times than we would like on vacation. We watch The Little Mermaid until we have it memorized. We spend our birthday money on groceries. We trade a string of pearls for a precious fruit loop necklace. We weary the Lord with prayers in behalf of our children. We even choose to eat the burnt piece of toast and give up the last slice of cake. And if asked, we would gladly do it all again for just the chance of being able to see our child make the game winning shot, walk in their cap and gown on graduation day, proudly stand in their tuxedo as they whisper the words “I do”, share in the joy and heartache of elections won and lost, and watch with awe as she becomes a loving mother to your sweet little grandchild. I never imagined absolutely loving being the mother of five precious souls, but I am grateful for Him whose plan for my life is always better than my own.