Life lesson # 64: Mama isn’t just a title.

“If you live to a hundred I want to live to a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.” ~ Winnie the Pooh. That’s exactly how I feel about my mama. My mom, she’s a creature of  grace and vast character and qualities, not perfect but beautifully humble. Her natural, unfiltered beauty is breathtaking. Her soul is gentle, full of unconditional love. My mama’s smile, literally lights up a room. She’s pure joy, speaking her mind but never in meanness. She’s sensitive and yet so much stronger than she knows herself. My mom, well she’s not just a special lady, she’s absolutely one of a kind. Loved and adored, she’s one of those people who simply knows no stranger. I couldn’t imagine not being her daughter, not being part of her life in the ways I have been blessed in. I love my mama. I couldn't see my life without her nor would I ever want to. I’ve been told through the years how strong I am, but the reality is I am only a strong woman because a strong woman raised me. (Paraphrasing pintrest here)

If my mom could have said it first she’d tell you, “My entire life can be described in one sentence: It didn’t go as planned.” (Rachel Wolchin) Life hasn’t been easy for my mom for many different reasons. She has moved all around the world and back again, experienced loss, grief, and yes also joy and happiness. She’s never had a house to call her own long, but she’s had a home that’s lasted a lifetime, filled with love, happiness, joy and peace.  Material things have never meant much to my mom. That’s a lesson I learned young. She will tell you however, the time we have here together is worth more than gold. The memories she holds in her heart far outweigh anything she can physically hold in her hands.

Life lesson #64: Mama isn’t just a title. Being a mom is an act of love. Something you do for someone else.

Tomorrow we’ll be celebrating the birthday of one of the most beautiful women I know, my mama. I can’t believe she’s 68 years young. She’s taught me so many things but most importantly she’s shown me how to live.  My mom raised me to “Be a girl with a mind, a woman with attitude and a lady with class” by her own example. She’s definitely been my biggest teacher of unconditional love. She will tell you she’s my greatest fan but the truth is I am hers.  As I grow older myself I’m beginning to understand just how quickly time flies.  Yes, the older I become, past the pig tales and Barbie’s, boys and heartbreak, I see the woman I many times took for granted. Being a mother myself, looking at my mama, I see just how blessed I am. Our love is forever, that’s just how it is with moms.  I see the relationship my mom or ‘Nana’ as we call her has with my boys and I smile. I understand , I know the importance my relationship with my mom really is. It's not about me or my needs or wants. Looking at my mama now, as a grown woman, I see she's truly the best friend I’ve ever had. She’s steady, without judgment, loving me and my family unconditionally. She lives the kind of love 1 Corinthians 13:7 speaks of, “Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up.”

I know my mom isn’t perfect. She has her faults, as we all do. But my mom is truly a woman of goodness, a Godly woman whose example far outshines any other I know. She’s the kind of woman who never puts herself first. She will sacrifice her own needs for those she loves. She’s always been this way. I can’t remember a time when mom wasn’t giving of herself. She’s honest to a fault, and kind, she lives love out loud for all to see. Our family’s legacy comes from her determination to rise above the chaos banging at the door and enjoy the free fall of life.  Proverbs 14:1 says, “The wisest of women builds up her home, but a stupid one tears it down with her own hands.” My mom is a reflection of the first part of this verse; she is a wise woman who has continually, unconditionally and beautifully built her family up, never looking for the worst in us. My mom, she always sees our best in spite of our faults. For this gift I am forever and always grateful.

Have a wonderful and beautiful birthday Mama.  You’re an amazing woman. You are loved, adored and treasured. You have and will always be enough. Your value is far more than rubies. I'm not just proud but I’m humbled to be your daughter. “Mom I know you’ve loved me as long as I’ve lived; But I’ve LOVED YOU my whole life.”

Happy Birthday Mama, I love you.

~Christina