My son wrote a book for me at  school titled “When you thought I wasn’t looking”.  He had warned me about a week ahead of time that it was going to make me cry.  He was right!  It did!  It was absolutely beautiful.  The words.  The drawings.  The thoughts from his precious heart to his Momma.

And that got me thinking.  I don’t know if I ever wrote a book like that to my mom, but I could sure write a blog post!  So mom, here is a few things I learned when you weren’t looking! 🙂

When you thought I wasn’t looking:

• I learned how to love my family.  I learned that family is always there for each other.  They stick together.  Sometimes they argue or drive each other crazy, but they are always there.  Our family is super close largely because of you making it that way!  Family is a priority for you, and I learned to make it a priority in my life!
• I saw you take care of all of us.  You cooked, cleaned, worked hard at your job to provide for us, went shopping with me even when I was a horrible teenager who was the worst person in the world to shop with and sacrificed so many things in life to make sure Casey and I had what we needed.  You took us to practices.  You cared for us when we were sick or hurt.  You were always there to listen.  You were always willing to help at a moment’s notice.  You helped us with our school work and taught us so much!  And you still do all of that today!  Now you just have extra people to do it for with all the grandkids!  And you love every minute of it!
• You taught me about God and faith.  I saw that you prayed, spent time with God in the Word, went to church, served in church, etc.  My faith life is what it is because of you!  I know that you prayed (and still pray) for me like crazy, and I believe with all of my heart that your prayers have shaped our family’s lives because of your faithfulness.  That’s powerful stuff!
• You taught me how to treat other people and be a good friend.  I watched you sit at the kitchen table talking to friends on the phone at night who were struggling and needed someone to talk to.  I saw that you were willing to do whatever it took to help friends out.  Even if it meant they would need to stay with us for a while.  I saw you take food to people.  I saw the way that you were always ready to serve.  I remember you telling me in the car one day that the most important thing in life was people and how you treat others.  And that stuck with me.  I think about it all the time!
• You taught me how to work hard.  You come from a long line of hard-working women, and you are a super, tough hard worker yourself!  You were passionate about your job as a teacher.  You always did your best.  You worked so hard to make sure that the kids in your classes learned the best they could and had the best experience possible.  I watched you get to school early to prepare for each day.  I watched you as you worked at the end of the day to make sure everything got done.  I watched you work at home grading papers, reading and planning.  You have always been excellent at everything you have done!

The list could go on!  Mom, you are truly awesome!  You are the strongest person I know, and I have become a strong person because of you. You are my best friend.  The person I want to call to tell what’s going on in my life, to get advise, to laugh with and just hear your voice.  You’re the person who can make me laugh like no one else!

I’ve always said that if I could be half the mom you are, that would be great!  Happy Mother’s Day, mom!

Love, Stephanie