Fortunate One ~ By Christina

Fortunate One ~ By Christina

I am one of the fortunate ones.  I have the blessing of multiple “Moms” in my life.  My mom, step-mom, and “step” mother-in-law, are all alive and part of my everyday life here on earth.

Some of you aren’t able to say the same for your mom(s).  I’m sure Mother’s Day is especially difficult as you have to face another day where Mothers are the focus and you are forced to face the reality that your mom is not here.  I am sad my own mother-in-law, Priscilla is not here.  For those who don’t get to be with your Mom, I am sorry for your pain.

For all of us, whether our mom is alive or has passed away, we have our memories to reflect on.  So, for this post I want to focus on those people in my life I have the blessing of calling “Mom”.  I encourage you to think about your own mom, or people in your life who have been like a mom.  Think about your special memories and how you have been influenced or changed because of these special people in your life.

My Mom (Rose).  She grew up in Ohio with many siblings (all girls) and eventually married my dad and lived in Illinois where I spent most of my childhood, until she moved down to Florida.  I have heard many stories about her childhood, both good and bad.  As a young mom with five children I imagine it wasn’t easy raising us.  I certainly have many memories.  She used to love listening to her records and singing (and dancing) along to the various artists like Skeeter Davis, Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty, Crystal Gayle, Merle Haggard, etc.  I think that probably began my love for music in a big part because of the joy that I saw in my own mom when I was a young age.  I loved those times when the music would be playing loud and we would sing along and dance.  She was a good example for me growing up and I am thankful for so much of what was instilled in me.  I learned a lot about God and the Bible from my mom.  I learned from my mom about how important it was to have close friends.  She would talk for long periods of time with really special friends and they would share their lives with each other in real ways – I was able to witness that.  I learned that it was important to have fun.  I learned that just because she was a mom, she wasn’t perfect and the beauty of imperfection and loving someone through their imperfections.  I learned that adults didn’t always have a smile and that it is okay to struggle and to continue to push through difficult situations.  I learned that there are joyful endings even when it seems so dark that is all you see.  I learned it is good to enjoy and be silly.  So many things learned….   And now, as an adult with my own family and my mom living a couple of hours away, our lives have changed so much but the memories are still there.  The future is there to look forward to and see what new path we continue on; what new memories can be made.

My Step-Mom (Kay).  She really became part of my life my senior year in high school.  It was that awkward time when my parents divorced and now there was a new woman with my father.  She was nice enough but I didn’t know how to emotionally handle the situation.  To try to get close to her felt like I was betraying my own mom, and to not seemed like I would cause separation with my Dad.  Thankfully, I was able to work through that and get to know her, love her and receive her love for me.  She has been such a blessing in my life.  It’s wild, she loved me through some of my ugliest times in my own life.  I won’t go into details but she knows what I was like just before joining the Army as her and my dad let me move in with them when I was at one of the lowest times in my life as a 19 or 20 year old.  I’ll just say my decisions weren’t the best and she helped me get through by not seeming to judge me too harshly.  Then through these more than 35 years of being my step-mom, she has continued to influence me by her consistent love, her gentle quietness, her open and honest communication, and her spiritual walk with the Lord.

My “step” Mother-in-Law (Dolores).  What a surprise blessing God gave us with Dolores coming into our lives when she married my father-in-law.  She has been a sweet spirit and loving person in our lives.  She picked right up in our lives as if she had always been there.  She has the ability to bring laughter into our family and create a kind and loving environment for family gatherings.  She is so easy to love her.  She loves so well.  I am so grateful for her.

Priscilla, my mother-in-law who passed away years ago.  I wouldn’t be who I am today without this truly beautiful person.  God used her in such a dramatic and strong way in my life.  Priscilla helped me see who I was and helped me to get through some major self struggles.  My inability to get past my own fears of who I was were shattered through by the truth that Priscilla spoke into my life.  She helped lead me to my Savior in a way I had not experience prior to that time in my life.  She was the “Nana” to my children that makes me want to be the same type of “Nana” to my own grandchild.  She showed me that being genuinely joyful and kind was real and I could have that too.

Why do I share this?  Because reflecting on my moms in my life help me see pieces of how I’ve become who I’ve become and also helps me remember how I want to continue to be.  Thinking about this makes me think about how I don’t want to take my moms for granted.  I want to love them well, especially because they love me well.

So I am taking this time to lift each Mom up.  Will you reflect on the “moms” in your life?  Think about the good they bring and that deep in their heart they desire to love you and be a good mom.

 

I love you Mom. Rose.

I love you Step-Mom. Momma Kay.

I love you Step-Mom-In-Law. Dolores.

I love you and will never forget you Mom-In-Law. Priscilla.

THANK YOU ALL FOR WHO YOU’VE BEEN IN MY LIFE!

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY WEEKEND!

9 Replies to “Fortunate One ~ By Christina”

  1. Wow. Excellent. Thank you for sharing. Being a “bystander” & active participant with you in all of those relationships, I can say that you truly nailed it with this post. Love you!

  2. Happy Mother’s Day Christina. You have truly been blessed with so many amazing roll models in your life. You learned well.

  3. This is beautiful❤ You are so blessed! Rose was a huge part of us Sage’s growing up as well as Kay….its been great growing up with all of you!! ❤

  4. Happy Mothers Day, dear Christina. Your love as a mother, daughter, friend and woman of God is touching to our souls. Be blessed today and always !

  5. That was absolutely beautiful Christina.
    Your life is a beautiful reflection of all these wonderful women. I’m sure they are all so proud of you.

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