My mom

People used to tell me that my mom must be a saint. I had no idea what they meant. I thought all moms did what my mom did. Now that I'm a mom, I understand. Why I think my mom is amazing:

She has been married to my Dad for almost 34 years.

She is the mother of NINE children.

She raised us at home and homeschooled all of us.

She is a very hard worker (obviously after the above.)

She is content with what she has.

She lived in a basement with six children and made it work.

She lived in a farm house with one full bathroom and nine children... and once again made it work.

She has driven several large, used vehicles with lots of miles and lots of loud children.

She is not a quitter and always finishes what she starts.

She was brave enough to take all nine of us out in public...even with all of the stares and embarrassing moments.

She stays calm in stressful situations.

She is a great labor and delivery nurse (she's been mine twice now.)

She is a servant and always willing to help people out.

She is very disciplined and maintains a clean house...don't know how.

She was willing to stick to a tight budget even when it was tough.

She rarely thinks of herself, buys for herself, or indulges herself.

She has a great singing voice.

She loves her grandchildren and is a fun grandma.

She is always willing to help her children...even the ones who are grown and have children of their own.

She read Bible stories to us and helped us memorize AWANA verses.

She did fun things with us like trips to the library, the park, Grandma's pool, and outings with friends.

She was our personal chauffeur and I can't imagine the total number of trips to piano lessons, practices, games, doctor appointments, birthday parties...

She is an example to me of sacrificial love and a mom who has invested her life in her family.

There are not many people willing to do what she has done. Mom, thank you for making us a priority and I hope your reward is well worth all of the sacrifices.  I love you and could only hope to be a mom just like you...except for the 9 children...still not quite sure about that :) Happy Mother's Day!!