What the FTD Florist Doesn't Offer

I considered sending you flowers, 

but we both know that delivered bouquets 
don't always look like the online pictures...
and although you are ever gracious about the scrawny ones...
you don't deserve such a feeble expression of thanks.

I considered a plaque or picture 
(we all know how much you love pictures), 

but we both know there is just so much room 
to park doodads and whatnots....

and although you have beautifully arranged your keepsakes....

you don't deserve the chore of finding 
just one more spot 
for something else.

I considered taking you out to one of your favorite restaurants,

 

but we both know that such plans don't always work...

and since we are years behind 
on some of our other special event outings...

you don't deserve another promise for another day.

I considered writing a blog post, 

but we both know that has already been done, here and here....

and while they don't do you justice, 

my hope was to offer a little praise and a lot of love 

that would last longer than lilies 

and take up no amount of space in your home...

but live on in your heart.

So why do it again this year?
I guess, because...
just because of unspoken words 
and gratitude that fill 
the very core of my being 
for the gift of....YOU!


 

How could I ever give you anything 
even remotely as wonderful as you deserve?

I read two "mother's day quotes" this week that really stayed with me:

"Call your mother. 
Tell her you love her. 
Remember, you're the only person who knows 
what her heart sounds like from the inside."
~Rachel Wolchin

What an amazing blessing 
to have been given the honor and privilege
 of hearing the rhythm of your beating heart
from such an innermost place...
if that were the only thing the Lord had ever done for me, 
I would consider myself favored for eternity.

You carried me close for 9 months 
and carried me closer the next 57 years,
and knowing the cadence of your inner heart 
gives me the authority to say...
that the outward expressions of your heart...
the unconditional love,
the compassionate acts of mercy,
the constant support and encouragement,
and the countless prayers 
are treasured as blessings 
I can never repay
if I lived another 57 years.

Which leads into quote #2:

If you have a mom, 
there is nowhere you are likely to go 
where a prayer has not already been. 
~Robert Brault 

While this can not be said about every mom unfortunately, 
it has been your way since God knitted me in your womb. 

   
Where would I be today 
without the prayers and petitions lifted up  on my behalf
every single day of my life?   

How many times 
have your prayers placed me in the middle of divine enclosures 
that kept me safe from roaring lions and 
my own rashness and stupidity?   

How many times 
have I felt strengthened during moments of trial 
because of my praying mama? 

Or been able to sleep soundly thru the night 
after months of exhausting tossing and turning?

Does FTD have a flower for that?

This blog post may be lengthier than some but it doesn't matter.
If the few regular readers need to click out 
due to time restraints 
I understand...
because I do that myself many days 
as time for long reads and in-depth comments  
has become a thing of the past for many of us.

This does not concern me, 
because I know 
my mama 
will do as she has always done....
continue to the end.

The love chapter in Corinthians 
describes you well, 
my precious mama:

 Love is patient and kind. 
Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. 
It does not demand its own way. 
It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 
It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 
Love never gives up, 
never loses faith, 
is always hopeful, 
and endures through every circumstance.

That
is
my
Mama
in every way!


Happy Mother's Day!


I love you always and forever!

All For Love – Spiritual Sunday

For this week’s Spiritual Sunday post, Charlotte has suggested we share how our mothers’ spiritual influence affected our lives.

My Mother...

Guides wisely

Disciplines fairly

Sacrifices constantly

and prays nonstop for her family...

My Mother...

Adores her husband

Cherishes her children 

Encourages her friends

Worships her Savior...

My Mother...

Exemplifies the Proverbs 31 woman

Demonstrates the fruits of the spirit

Exhibits a servant’s heart in all she does

I am a blessed daughter...

One would have to be made of stone to not be influenced by the many Christ-like attributes of my Mother...

I am a blessed daughter...

Unconditional love poured out from a mother, is a catalyst that points a child towards the path of the cross...and leads the way to accepting God’s grace, poured out through His Son.

All for love...

I am a blessed daughter...

Thank you, Lord!!

Love puts up with all things, 

trusts in all things, 

hopes for all things, 

endures all things. 

I Corinthians 13:7 CEB

with Peggy

The Greatest of These – Thankful Thursday

1 gorgeous spring day in the south...


2 hours after noon time... in the middle of the work week... just because...


3 grandmothers, watching life speed by in a blur..


4 mothers sharing stories, laughter, and reflections...


5 daughters giving thanks for their mothers...

6 garlic breadsticks in a basket...where the salad and breadsticks never stop...


7 hot Italian donuts with dark melted chocolate...their calories cancelled in celebration of Mother’s Day...


8 hands breaking bread...healing hands that have mended broken hearts...


9 months of weeks spent waiting for grand and great-grand #5...


10 arms, hugging sweet...knowing what really matters in this life...

LOVE

The greatest of these...

Today and every day I am thankful for my precious mother and all the other mothers in my life...those who bore children from their wombs...and those who bore them from their hearts...

May all of you have a blessed Mother’s Day!

with Laurie

Thankful Thursday – Mothers….and others!

Today I would like to give thanks for moms...especially the one God gave me.

Growing up with the best mother ever, I was amazed to learn that all mothers were not as sweet and loving as mine...

While I experience unconditional love, continuous encouragement, and unfailing support from my mother...there are those who do not...

When I cherish loving embraces and sweet kisses...some can not...

As I remember tear stained checks wiped dry by her hand and a fevered brow gently touched by a cool palm...everyone does not have such memories...

A Godly mother shares so many attributes of Christ.

And our Heavenly Father so desires us to catch even a glimpse of this amazing love...that He displays it through the heart and life of a Mother...or Grandmother...or Aunt or Sister...

OR

a special someone, who crosses our path...not by a haphazard coincidence...but by God’s divine plan...

This someone touches our life in ways we don’t even comprehend...

But we know they are special

and

saturated with

something/Someone

we desperately

NEED...

So in honor of our mothers and the ones blessed with a mother’s heart...

You wrote no lofty poems
that critics counted art.
But with a nobler vision
you lived them in your heart.

You carved no shapeless marble
to some high soul design.
But with a finer sculpture
you shaped this soul of mine.

You built no great cathedrals
that centuries applaud:
but with a grace exquisite
your life cathedraled God.

- Thomas Fessenden, excerpt from Quiet Reflections: A Mother's Journal.

Please visit Laurie for more Thankful Thursday posts.

Tupperware and Tears

Do you remember the Tupperware burp? Years ago, when Tupperware parties were all the rage, the famous airtight seal created by burping the lid was a major selling point for this product. Excess air inside the container would be released with the famous thumb on the lid trick maneuver.

Release...

Escape...

Freedom...

Today in a small country church, another type of freedom was celebrated.

The release of a soul...

The escape from an earthly shell...

Freedom to rise...

The Amplified Bible says:

But unto you who revere and

worshipfully fear My name

shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with

healing in His wings and His beams,

and you shall go forth

and gambol like calves [released]

from the stall

and leap for joy.

Malachi 4:2

This child of God left for glory the Saturday before Mother's Day while her family sang "Amazing Grace." She was contained in that earthly body and was just waiting to be released.

The Son came...

Healing came...

And she ran to join her Saviour...leaping with joy!

The One God Gave Me

How can I say "Thank You" to someone who does so much and expects nothing in return?

How can I sing praises of someone whose life is a song too beautiful to put into words?

How can I let her know that the sacrifices she made and the long hours she spent doing special things for her family did not go unnoticed?

How in the world do I express the love and gratitude for all the many times she was there when I needed her...and even when I thought I didn't and could do things on my own she was patiently waiting for me to turn to her?

I could write hundreds of books or thousands of blog posts and never come close to describing all the ways my Mother is so special to me...

Constantly serving and never taking...

Exemplifying a humble attitude...

Sharing unconditional love...

Always ready to lay down her life for her family and protect them from harm...

So similar to the love of Jesus...

Momma shows this Christ-like love by tender words of encouragement and reassurance. Her actions speak even louder as she personifies Matthew 23:11.

The greatest among you will be your servant.

Matthew 23:11 NIV

She is always ready to lift up prayers for others as soon as a need arises. Momma has a special discernment for when something is wrong or when something is very right. Her prayers have wrapped hedges around her family that the enemy cannot cross. Oh, the blessing of a praying Mother!

Momma has many talents and sewing is one of her specialties. We were always dressed in the finest custom made clothes because her ability to transform bolts of cloth, thread, and embellishments rivaled the world's top designers. Even our Barbie dolls and baby dolls had custom made clothing!


She played games, sang songs, and created fantasy play worlds for her two girls and then for her five grandsons. Week long monopoly marathons, basketball games until the fireflies appeared, jigsaw puzzles, and cooking lessons made Memaw's house a favorite place to visit during the summer. The great grands come to visit now and she always has a novelty toy or game ready to delight and thrill the young ones.


Several years ago I witnessed a side to Momma I had never seen. She literally saved the life of her Daddy. His health had declined rapidly and he was not receiving the proper care. Momma went into offense mode and with the help and guidance of the Lord turned the situation completely around. She faced seemingly insurmountable odds and had to break through numerous road blocks. She held on to what she knew was right and her strong spirit was able to bring my "Poppie" to the place he needed to be.


All during this time her health was declining, too, and Daddy was also having health issues. Momma drew strength from that "Fount of many blessings" and pressed on in amazing ways that clearly showed the hand of the Lord was moving things into place.

During Poppie's last few months, Momma was by his side making sure anything he would need or want was supplied. Her tender loving care by his bedside was so precious that my eyes blur as I write this. The last few hours before he left us, Momma knelt against his bed and sang one his favorite hymns. Poppie could not move or speak, but big tears began flowing from the corners of his eyes until his spirit slipped away to be with the Lord. It was one of the sweetest moments I have ever experienced and a memory I will cherish always.

So for Mother's Day 2009, I say to my dear Momma...

I love you...

I treasure you...

I appreciate you...

And I thank God for you!

A Special Mother

In the fall of 1977, I left my mostly female dominated life and was welcomed into a male dominated one by another mother I would like to honor. She welcomed me with open arms into her household of three sons and lovingly shared her firstborn's heart with me. She taught me quickly that guys do things much differently than girls...especially if it has to do with noises and body parts.

My mother-in-law made me feel at home in this new world that was several hours away from where I had lived for the first 18 years of my life. She helped prepare me for the joys and trials of having three sons of my own...

She was a hard worker, but always took time to enjoy life and make sure her family was well taken care of in every way. She is retired now and still works as hard as ever keeping up her beautifully decorated home and taking care of her massive yard.

A few things that I love about her:

She nurtured and raised a sweet little boy that grew up to be my forever love...

She is not shy to burst into song at anytime...she harmonizes beautifully with my father-in-law and you never know when you might hear them lifting up their voices in an old hymn or a Merle Haggard song...

She has an entertaining way of perfectly imitating people...she has passed this gift along to her oldest son...much to my chagrin sometimes...

She enjoys laughing and "cutting up" and isn't afraid to act like a kid with the grandkids and great grandkids...

She makes the best potato salad and Italian crème cake anywhere...

She has a green thumb and can grow anything just about anywhere and make it look lush and flourishing...

She has stood strong in the face of many adversities in her lifetime and always gives credit to the Lord for her strength...

She has unselfishly put her family's needs in front of her own many, many times...

She understands what my mother's heart has been through and has given me support when I needed it...

One special memory I have is one Christmas eve when most of the family was at her house and everyone was making merry and having a good time...I was trying to pretend to have a good time, but circumstances in my life were making that hard to do...when I finally got about as close to the breaking point as I could without falling to pieces...she must have sensed something...she came and wrapped her arms around me...said she knew how I felt...and even if the others did not understand...she did...

That moment meant more to me than I'm sure she will ever know.

So for Mother's Day 2009, I want to say...

Thank you, Wilma!

You are one special lady and I love and appreciate you very much!