Life Lesson #153 ~ My Mother's Daughter

"Life doesn't come with a manual, it comes with a mother."  ~ Unknown

I am most definitely my mother's daughter. We are completely different but absolutely cut from the same cloth. I learned love and grace by watching her life in motion. My mom is gentle, kind and loving. She's selfless, and always looks for the best in everyone she meets. She is one to give until she's completely empty. She rarely gives up on folks either. It takes far more than a broken heart for her to lock a door. My mom, "she makes broken look beautiful and strong look invincible. She walks with the universe on her shoulders and makes it look like a pair of wings." I simply adore my mom, and all she is. Is she perfect, a saint, no not in the least but she's honest, and she's real and that's what makes her so beautiful and authentic. She loves with all her heart, closes doors slowly and gives second chances freely. My mom is a woman of faith and prayer, even when she's not sure of where God is leading her. It is my mom who lived her faith out loud in front of me, stiring my own faith to flourish and grow in spite of the hardships along the way.

If you ask me I will tell you without hesitation that my mom is beautiful, outwardly and inwardly, beyond compare. She has always had youth on her side. I remember as a teenager folks mistaking  us for being sisters.  Mom, is a radiant woman. She has never looked old  a day in I her life even if she thinks differently. My Mama is a beautiful woman, and the truth is she's the kind of beautiful that takes your breathe away and still she has no idea. As a little girl I wanted to be just like her, to look like her with her long blond hair, contagious laugh and a smile that lights up any room. In my eyes she was and still is magnificent. In my dad's eye's she's everything, a beauty, the sun, the stars and the moon colliding together. To us she's captivating and the truth is "there ain't a woman alive that could take my mama's place." So when people tell me I am a mirror of my mother I am truly humbled. I am also aware how blessed I am to call my parents, Mama and Daddy. For years my folks prayed for a child, and for four years the answer was no. My mom feared she would never know the joy of holding a child of her own in her arms. But then after years of trying God entrusted my life into theirs, into her arms. And the thing is God knew everything that was coming, the hardships and hurdles my life would bring, He knew they were ready, and they were capable of handling what was ahead. Yes, He knew they might lose me, but he trusted them with my life and for that I am so thankful.  Because of His grace, I am my mother's daughter and forever my daddy's little girl. Because of His certainty I was placed into the hearts and lives of two incredible people and molded into the woman I am today.  I have an odd sense of humor I wouldn't exchange for anything. I love sci-fi and eating beets. I am goofy, silly and honest. I learned to be loyal, to love unconditionally and to forgive without holding a grudge because of my parents. I am unashamed of who I am and where I come from but most of all I am my mother's daughter. You see,."my mom is also my best friend.  I am grateful for her example, kindness, hard work and friendship. But above all...I am grateful for her unconditional love for me. I love you Mom!"

I was raised in a house of grace, by two parents who cherished me, flaws and all. My mom, she's taught me so much. Because of her example I have found my own voice, living the weird crazy life that I call my own without regret. She's shown me that Jane Austen's words, "A loss may be sometimes a gain" is true. That being rooted  unshakably and grounded in the love and grace of God is more important than worldly riches. She's also shown me in recent years that "an unresolved past never really goes away until you find the courage to revisit all the pain and accept that there's nothing you can do to change the past. What's happened has happened, and what's done is done." When I say I am my mother's daughter I understand just how blessed I am. When I look back on my life from the moment I was conceived, to the day I was born up until this very moment I know God has had a plan. And the truth is everything I am my mama has helped me to become. My mom, she has prayed for me through the night, held me when I could not stand on my own, wiped away my tears and has always seen in me the woman I am yet to become. There is a quote that reminds me so much of my mom, and the beauty of her spirit. It's by Boyde K. Packer and it says this, "There are few things more powerful than the faithful prayers of a righteous mother."

As I read 2 Timothy 2 :5-7 this Mother's Day I see the legacy of my mother's life inside me, and in her grandsons and of the lives of the generations yet to come. "That precious memory triggers another: your honest faith—and what a rich faith it is, handed down from your grandmother Lois to your mother Eunice, and now to you! And the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed—keep that ablaze! God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible." My mom has been my greatest example of God's unconditional love. She has given her life and opened my childhood home many times over to those in need. Her acts of kindness and the gift of her time are some of the most precious things I hold dear. She is truly a diamond, resilient, strong , beautiful and precious, absolutely rare in her clarity, quality and value. The truth is mom, on this of all Mother's days I want you to know how incredibly blessed I am to call you Mom. I am  beyond privileged to know you as I do, and I want you to know the details of your life make me stronger. I know who you are, inside and out. I know your heart and your hopes, your dreams and yes many of your regrets. You are my best friend, my mother, the light which sparked my own faith and the prayer warrior who fought for me on her knees from the moment I was conceived. You are my Mom, always and forever. And so Life Lesson #152 ~ My Mother's Daughter is dedicated to you. I will always be my mother's daughter...to infinity and beyond. I may be a mess, but I'm your beautiful mess aren't I? And so as I wish you a Happy Mother's Day Mama, I just want to remind you, "I smile because I'm your daughter. I laugh because there's nothing you can do about it!" I love you Mom so much more than to the moon and back.

"I'll always remember the things you have taught me and how much you have loved me." ~ Unknown

~ Christina, (your Criggy)