Mother’s Day had me thinking about the things I have learned from my mom over the years.

To give you a brief history lesson:  My birthday is 4 days after my mom’s.  She had just turned 21 when she had me.   She and my dad had only been married about 6 months.  I was their first child. Two years later my brother came along and that would be our family until our parents divorced about 20 years later.  

The first and most important thing I learned from my mom is not to be ashamed of my faith and to share Jesus with others.  

I am thankful that I grew up in a Christian home.  We went to church and Bible School regularly.  I learned all the stories of the Bible like Noah and the Ark and Jonah and the Whale.  I memorized verses and learned songs like “The B-I-B-L-E” and “Zaccheus was a Wee Little Man”.  (What songs do you remember?)  I chose to follow Jesus at an early age and was baptized in the Flat Rock river when I was 9 years old.  

If my mom never taught me another thing, that would be okay because introducing someone to Jesus is the best gift you can give them.  She wanted nothing more for her kids than for us to know and love Jesus.  Because of that seed planted in me, it was also a priority for me as a mom to raise Ethan in church as well.  And I have been blessed to be able to see Ethan give his heart to Jesus and be baptized.

Be a giver.

We didn’t always have a lot growing up.  There was a period of time when my dad was laid off from work, and we survived on food stamps and unemployment.  But no matter how much we had, my mom was always a giver.  She was generous with whatever we had, whether it was giving to the church or buying groceries for someone less fortunate. I fondly remember going to the grocery store and buying a bunch of groceries and taking them to someone who was struggling.  To this day, my mom loves to give and do for others.

Mother's Day is a time to reflect on what I learned from my mom. #motherhood #momofboys Click To Tweet

Manage your money wisely.

As a follow up to being a giver, my mom did well to show me how to manage money.  She has always diligently balanced her checkbook and has not wished to be in debt.  When we were low on money, she took a calculator to the grocery story and stretched every penny we had.  I’ll admit, those days made me make a vow that I would never have to take a calculator to the grocery store with me or buy the things in the black and white boxes (Do you remember when generic first came out???).  Not because I was ashamed, but because I just didn’t want the stress of not having enough.

Laugh…especially at yourself.

My mom loves to laugh.  And she has no problem making fun of herself.  She makes me feel like even I can be funny sometimes!  She taught me not to take myself too seriously all the time.

Make sure your kids learn to swim.

My mom will often comment on things she feels like she failed at as a parent.  Gosh, nobody gets it right.  We’re all human.  The only thing I blame my mom for is that I didn’t learn how to swim!  Ok, not really, but I did learn from my mom that I wanted to make sure Ethan knew how to swim at an early age.  Because I was painfully shy and introverted as a young child and we didn’t have a pool, I never learned how to swim.  I went to Waldron; they still don’t have a swimming pool at the school!  So swimming was never a priority.  And learning as an adult is difficult to say the least.  I have tried, but it’s not easy.  So I tease my mom that the only thing I blame her for is not making sure I learned how to swim!

Keep the house clean.

My mom has always been neat and tidy and passed that along to me.  She had times in her life she was a bit obsessive about it as I do, but we’ve both backed off a little. (And our families appreciate that!) Still it is helpful to be organized and orderly, and it’s nice not to stress that someone might stop in when the house is a wreck.  For the most part, you can stop by my house or hers any time and we won’t be ashamed for you to use our bathroom!

The most important thing I learned from my mom is teach them Jesus. #faith #focus Click To Tweet

I know there are many other things I learned from my mom.  She has a grateful heart.  She’s not afraid to let you see her cry.  She is welcoming and hospitable.  She tries to see the best in people and situations.  Moms are just pretty awesome people!  We wouldn’t be here without them!

“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” This phrase is found in Luke 2:19 and nearly the same in Luke 2:51.  

A mother’s heart.  We hold thoughts of our children so dearly and closely.  Just as Mary saw Jesus being about His Father’s business and growing to serve the Father, so I as a parent hold nothing more dear than to see my child serve the Lord.

Moms are wonderful!  Moms are special.  And we have been given a special calling and assignment.

Michelle Myers says that someone else could come along and do your day job or teach your Sunday school class or whatever else it is that you do and that you may even think is so important, but really the most important is your role at home.  No one else can be the wife to your husband and mother to your child(ren).

Let’s soak that in and let it drive us as mothers.

I’m thankful for all the things I learned from my mom along the way.

Happy Mother’s Day!

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