Mother, such a formal term...

I'm not a very formal person, though I do love my formal dining room and my formal china and yes, I've used them both a good bit...well, the dining room more than the china but I still love them both. Mother is a formal term to me. It is the title my mother has always preferred my sister and I use. I do, sometimes, but more often than not, I call her Mama. I'm sure she'd still prefer Mother but after reminding me for (almost) 36 years, I guess she has given up. At this point in my travel down the road of motherhood, I still prefer to be called Mommy. When they're older, they can say Mom or Mama...I don't think it will matter what they call me, just so they call me!

Being a mommy is a blessing directly from the Lord. My Bible tells me that children are a blessing, a legacy from the Lord. Do I forget that sometimes in the tough hours of motherhood? Absolutely but God knows my heart and knows that even when I'm stressed and short-tempered and wondering how I'll ever get it right, I know that He knows that I am more thankful for this path than any He has taken me down. I am completely crazy about my two and cannot even let myself think about them growing up and not being right here with us. They are amazing kids and we are trying our best to raise them under the direction of the Lord.

In honor of Mother's Day, I wanted to post this poem. I know this poem has been around the block a time or two but I love it so I'm posting it here b/c I never seem to get these things in the actual scrapbooks that I dream about...

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on. Pooped on. Chewed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests. Or give shots..
I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.
Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom .

My addition to this poem:
Before I was a Mom,
I could not truly fathom the depth of the Father's love for me
and while I still cannot wrap my heart around the vastness of His love,
I do have a small understanding of how difficult it must have been for Him to watch His son die for me. I could never do what He did for me. I could never give them up, not for another person who does not deserve it, and I do not deserve what He gave up for me! Now that is LOVE beyond measure
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY