A Mom Is A Mom!

Here it is, the week before Mother’s Day and I am, again, in a place of maternal reflection. However, this year is a little different. I went from being a grandma to three children to a grandma of five very quickly and, because of the circumstances, it has brought new emotions and thoughts to the surface.  Which, of course, I am going to share with the faithful few who, for some unknown reason, keep reading my ramblings.

Family is a very broad, inclusive term in our home and motherhood is not defined by biological birth. Whether a woman gives birth physically, fosters, adopts, mentors, teaches or guides, and even if she holds a title like aunt, stepmom, sister, or friend, she may fit the job description and deserve the title of Mom.

If you have ever cared for another human being who is younger, weaker, or more vulnerable than yourself…

If you have ever held a hurt, frightened, crying child or adult and felt your heart would break…

If you’ve ever fixed a meal when you didn’t have the energy, changed wet or soiled sheets for the hundredth time, gone to the store and bought socks or an outfit because all the laundry was dirty, sat up all night praying, holding and comforting a sick child…

If you’ve ever felt so proud you thought your heart would burst out of your chest…

If you’ve ever wept silently in the next room for the child struggling with homework or hurt feelings or for a young adult struggling with choices…

If you’ve ever hurt so bad for another person that you couldn’t function…

If you’ve ever felt guilty for locking yourself in the bathroom to just get a minute to yourself or for saying ‘no’ even when you know it’s for the best…

If you become a “mama bear” when someone threatens or even looks like they might harm a child…

If you’ve ever bitten a hole in your tongue wanting to say something one more time just to make sure they heard you because you know what kind of a world is out there…

If you’ve ever willingly chosen to put your plans, relationships, finances, and personal goals on hold for another…

If you have put yourself in harms way to protect a child…

If you would moved heaven and earth to make sure that small, vulnerable little person has everything they need to be safe and secure…

If you would do anything just to see that smile or hear that giggle…

… YOU are a MOM!

All of a sudden, two little boys are now a part of our family and, although they didn’t come to us as babies, they still need a mom and dad, grandmas and grandpas, and aunts and uncles to do all of the things that a family does–protect them, pray for them, guide them, hold them, discipline them, and love them. My little girl is a first-time mom and going through all the emotions I felt for her when she was little and that I now feel again for her boys. Circumstances, baggage, and the scars from a sinful world may vary from home to home and situation to situation but the heart of a mother is still the same. Filled with a fierce, unconditional, and forever love.

I am blessed with two beautiful, accomplished, godly young women who have given me five (for now) of the most precious gifts a mom can have– grandchildren, three girls and two boys. And those are just the ones that share our family name. There are so many others that I call my children and grandchildren who do not share my blood and I am proud of them all! No matter how they come to us…  Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him (Psa 127:3 NIV).

So, to my girls, sisters, and friends,

If you have felt the overwhelming emotions I have described and have been there for someone else without thinking of the cost to yourself, you are a Mom! Celebrate your family!

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth (3 John 1:4 NIV).

Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children (Prov 17:6 NIV).

[She] who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for [her] children it will be a refuge (Prov 14:26 NIV).