Journey to Jubilee: Happy Mothers Day

Yesterday was Mothers Day and we had a great weekend full of celebration! On Thursday, I went to a Mothers Day Tea at Calvary, Anne Botts’ preschool, where the children sang us songs, gave us special art projects they had made for the mommies and served us tea and pie J On Saturday night, we celebrated with my Dad and Barbara with a yummy dinner and sweet gifts. On Sunday, Michael and Anne Botts made it such a special day for me! Michael woke me up and surprised me with a brand new Keurig Coffee Maker, which delivers a cup of coffee to me in less than 60 seconds! What a great excuse to get out of bed in the morning J And Anne Botts slept until 8:45 am, so you can’t beat that for a Mothers Day gift! We had an awesome brunch at the club and Michael gave me the rest of the day off from my Mommy duties.

But, Mothers Day is definitely a day of reflection for me. As most of you know, I lost my own mother suddenly in December of 1993, a day that changed the lives of my family forever. For those of you who didn’t know my mom, she had an exuberant personality that was infectious and she never met a stranger. At the same time, she exuded the gentleness and grace that I can only strive to mirror each day. Her cemetery marker says it all, “A Proverbs 31 Wife and Mother.” Since that year of tragedy, every Mothers Day has been a bittersweet day for me. But, the Lord has brought us a long way since then. My dad and brother and I were a sad sight there for a while. A lot of the time after my mothers’ death is a huge blur, and I’m convinced I blocked out a good 6 months of life after that. It’s a time I never like to think back on.

But, God was faithful and in February of 1995, a pretty lady in a red suit was introduced to us at church and from that day forward she began to put the pieces of our family back together. Barbara married my dad, took on this little broken down family, and helped us begin to heal. And for that, I am eternally grateful.

So, on this Mothers Day I’d like to honor my mom who isn’t with us anymore but dearly remembered every day and her memory will never be forgotten. And I’d also like to honor sweet Barbara, who swooped in and came into our lives and helped us become what we are today. I can’t imagine where we’d be if it wasn’t for you! I love you!

Anne Botts and me at Calvary's Mothers Day Tea