Mom.

Mom,

On August 12, 2014 at 11:12 pm, for the first time in almost 32 years, I experienced the slightest notion of what it's like to be you.  Slight because I was heavily drugged and my uterus was sitting on my stomach, but nonetheless, I experienced "that feeling" for the very first time.  :)

"That feeling" was only the beginning.  From that moment, I have a newfound appreciation for you, and a desire to SOME DAY show you the gratitude and thanks that you truly deserve.

You gave up your financial freedom for us, thank you.

You gave up your free time for us, thank you.

You gave up your sanity for us, thank you.

You gave up sleep for us, thank you.

You gave up your schedule for us, thank you.

You gave up the last piece of cake for us, thank you.  In fact, you gave up the entire cake for us, THANK YOU.

You gave up worry free days and nights for us, thank you.

You gave up your youth for us, thank you.

You gave up "working" for us, thank you.

You gave up your sense of self for us, thank you.

You gave up YOUR LIFE for us, thank you.

"That feeling," although so slight in the beginning, grows into something so much greater than any love I could've ever imagined.  I have always been thankful for you, Mom.  I have always known that you were a wonderful mother, a great example, and the most selfless person on the planet.  What I didn't know was HOW you were all of those things.  How could you manage to devote your entire life so selflessly to your kids and your husband?  How could you never think twice about putting us before yourself?  How could you have made ends meet during the times we had so little?  How could you spend every free second at the ballpark or the gym or coming to school to sign the paper I had forgotten the night before?  How could you have been the epitome of a Godly woman even when we were so undeserving?  How could you strictly be our parent as children then become our best friend as adults?  All of these questions have gone unanswered for so long...until now.  And it's so simple.

Because God.  That's how.

Because God made you a MOTHER.  Because God shows His love through YOU.  Because God blessed Ryan, Chelsea and me when he allowed us to be YOURS.  Because God wanted to prepare us to be parents ourselves, first to our pups, and then to our babies.  He worked through you, and you showed Him to us.

Thank you, God, for our mom.

Thank you, God, for showing us the way through her.

Mom - You are my angel on earth.  You have always been my role model, my rock, my go-to.  You are my PERSON.  I am so thankful for all that you've done for me and for all you continue to do for me and for my family.  Tate is so lucky to have you for a grandmother, and I'm pretty sure he already knows that.  He loves that Lulu.  I PRAY that I am half the mother you ARE, because a fraction of you is better than than the whole of even some of the greatest moms.

I love you so much, and I hope you had a wonderful day.  You deserve only the best!

To my mother-in-law, my grandmothers, my aunts, my sister and sisters-in-law, my cousins, and all my mama friends out there - I pray that each of you have had a wonderful day and that you were celebrated as you should be.  You are doing a tremendous job, and I'm so grateful for your love and influence in my life and in Tate's.  Thank you for being the role models and inspirations I've looked up to for many many years prior to becoming a mama myself!  God bless you all, and Happy Mother's Day!

Love - Jen