Mom Is 60!

Mom, you're in Hawaii right now about to celebrate the marriage of your third daughter; the last daughter to get married. Wow! I wish I was there to hug you!

 One of the first memories that I have of my mom is watching her bake. I remember looking up, watching her stir just a certain way with the flick of her wrists, making the never ending grocery list, and buckling me in my car seat on the way to church. We spent a lot of time in the kitchen together since she started a bakery while I was young. We also spent a lot of time in church together since she was an organist for as long as I can remember. We would sit in the church pews and listen to her practice, get in trouble, return to the pews, repeat. I treasured that music more than I can tell you. The organ and piano that filled up our home constantly is one of my all time favorite sounds. But, there's more. 

I could skip the painful part of the story where my parents divorced back when I was five or six years old. However, God has brought so much redemption and forgiveness to my family. Those years were tough but we stuck together, God was there through it all. There were so many joyful memories. We still listened to Amy Grant on the record player, walked to the neighborhood pool, had birthday parties with the most beautiful cakes made by mom, went on so many fun vacations with dad, made cookies by the dozens, choreographed our own dances, fought over Barbies, played piano beautifully and to annoy one another, pulled each other's hair, argued, spilled milk, played outside with the lightening bugs and Slip N' Slide, sold lemonade, visited the oldest sister in college, and read (or listened to Mary Beth read) our Bibles before bed. What I reflect on most is that my mom loved us, she pushed us to do our best, and she survived. She decided to survive and not let her circumstances define her. To let God's word define her. That's a big deal. 

See, my mom is a fighter. She endured a lot. We all have our story. The hard part is; do you know your own story? Mom has taught me to know who God says I am and to know myself well. She taught me to always look behind my behavior and see the heart, the root of why I think or feel a certain way. For example, in our house growing up we didn't get away with much. She always made sure that between the five sisters and multiple fights a day, that we all forgave each other and talked it out! Even though she was pretty strict and made us do what felt like constant housework ( five children make a lot of messes), I'm thankful for who I am today because of her. I feel like I can say "I'm sorry" because of her. I know God's word, how to cook dinner, to clean well, to bake, to play the piano, and to be Jude's mom because of her.

My mom has become more of a close friend to me in the recent past. I think after having Jude and thinking to myself, "FIVE?" that I began to give her more grace. Especially since I now live about 900 miles away, I've been thinking. Not many parents (shout out to my dad, Becky, and Michael) can say that they have five daughters, nonetheless that those five daughters all love the Lord, have all graduated college, aren't in jail, and are married... Mary Beth gets married on Sunday so close enough. Yes, it's by the GRACE UPON GRACE UPON GRACE OF GOD that our family still speaks to one another. It's also the faithfulness, forgiveness, obedience, and love from our parents; all four of them. Specifically, my mom's reliance on the transformation POWER of Christ has brought our family a long way. I am so thankful that you love us the way you do. 

 My mom knows her story well. She knows that she's forgiven, a hard worker, that she's loved, that she's pretty funny, isn't perfect, that God's forgiveness and redemption are spilling over each page of her story, that music speaks to the soul, that she's a good listener, that her faith influenced her five daughters, that her husband Michael will always be by her side, and that her five daughters will give her about fifty grandchildren! It means so much to me that she knows herself well and has the confidence of Christ because that knowledge allows her to be beautiful from the inside out. When we believe in who God says we are and we're ok with Him being enough... we can live! She's taught me that. So thanks, mom! Happy 60th Birthday!

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

All of us girls :)