Cindy, Noni, aka My Mom

I love this picture. 3 generations. Mom, Saige and I. And on this Mother's Day I thought I would share why I love my mom.

She is beautiful.  
She is feisty.
She is intelligent.

She became a believer at the age of 30. I was born when she was 30. Hmm... could I have driven her to the Lord? I do believe so. ;) Because, let's face it. Children bring you to your knees. We haven't always had the best relationship. I was pretty...umm, well... dramatic as a child. And she's rational; a get-to-the-point type of woman. We had a difficult time connecting during the early teenage years, which I think is normal. I am sure I just about gave her a heart attack when she caught me with a pack of cigarettes in my room at the ripe ol age of 13.
It took me many years to truly appreciate the rational part of her. I wish I would've inherited or learned some of her straightforwardness. It probably would've saved me a lot of heartache. Had I been more willing to think rationally and not let my emotions determine my thoughts, I think would have benefitted me. There are so many times that I wish I could think through things and not let my emotions dictate my actions. My mom is good at that. She is good at looking at a situation and not letting it overwhelm her to the point of non-action. I need a bit of that, especially now that I am a mom myself. 


And I get it now. All that I have done for my children, she did for me. She loves me unconditionally. She loves every piece of who I am. And even though we haven't always seen eye to eye, she still loves me because I am her daughter. I drove her crazy just like my girls drive me crazy. It doesn't make me love them less. It makes me want to love them more. To not let them go. My parents fought hard for me. They prayed for me. They once found out that I had been sneaking out of the house and I asked them how they knew and they told me a little birdie had told them. Later they told me the truth —that a random person had called them to let them know where they had seen me. My parents told me it was because they had prayed that the Holy Spirit would show them what I was doing. She fought to not lose my heart.


I admire my mom. I love that she likes to read. I love that she is always up to date on current events and that we can talk about them over coffee. I love that she brings me news clippings of things she cuts out of the paper. I laugh every time. It's her way of showing me that she is thinking about me. And I know I will do the same thing for my kids, except it will be sent via email because who will be reading newspapers by then? I also love that she loves to travel. I definitely get my sense of adventure from her. She is always wanting to grow and experience more in life. I LOVE that about her.


I love that she loves Jesus. And she knows that He loves her and is not giving up on her.


So, Happy Mother's Day, Mom. I love who you are. I love that you keep it real. You are an amazing Mom and Noni and I am so thankful you are close to be able to love on my kids!


~cheryl~