Ever since Kerri and I had decided to go back to the States to have Ellison, we wondered why God brought us back there for that time. When we first found out about the pregnancy, we were planning on staying in Zambia. But as time passed, God began to change our hearts and convince us that it was His will for us to return for that time. So, as we packed up here and headed for home, we were on the lookout. We thought that there must be some reason why we were headed back, other than to have a baby, but we just didn't know why.
Before the birth, there was a time we thought Ellie might be breach. As we sat in the doctor's office getting an ultrasound, we both questioned each other that this might be the reason. But it wasn't. Ellie was facing the right way. As we headed to the hospital for the delivery, we wondered if there would be any surprises (other than the obvious), but there weren't. The delivery went better than expected. Then two weeks after the delivery, Kerri had a stroke. As we sat in the hospital and talked, it was very clear that this was the reason why God had called us home.
But I'm not writing about why God called us back to the States for that short time. As we have moved back to Zambia, it has become clear that there was another reason/blessing that God had called us back home. Mainly the blessing of time with family and the time we got to spend getting to know my mom all over again. So, I figured that today, being mother's day, was as good a time as any to dote on my mom.
If there's one word to describe mom, it would be committed, and, no, I don't mean that in an institutional sense. She's a woman of commitment.
She's committed to her husband:
In an age where divorce is rampant, even amongst the church, she has been lovingly committed to my dad for more than 35 years. And they genuinely love each other. They still enjoy spending time together and and laughing together. They have their own interests, but they love being around each other. It's not that I didn't know this already, but it was reassuring living with them and seeing it firsthand.
She's committed to her children:
Even though as her child, I made many mistakes growing up (and continue to do so), my mom has always stood behind me. She has always been there to give loving advice and has only ever wanted what was best for my sisters and me. There are many children who grow up in families where this is just not the case. So, I consider myself very blessed.
She's committed to her Family & Friends:
My mom has always been someone who would bend over backwards to help someone out when they are in need or just when they need someone to talk to. In just the past 6 months, she has managed to watch my sister's youngest daughter during the day, went out of the way to make sure that our kids were taken care of when Kerri was in the hospital, taken our kids to places, called her youngest (Jessie) just to see how she's doing, helped Kerri with home schooling, chatted with her sister and close friends regularly just to talk about life, etc... In everything she does, it is evident that she genuinely cares for her family and friends and most often puts our needs ahead of her own.
She was committed to her profession:
My mom is retired from being a teacher and principal for the mentally impaired. She worked for a long time and was very good at what she did. She loved the children and the people she worked with and to this day has contact with some of her former students.
She is committed to her grand babies:
Yep, all 7 of them. While she probably wouldn't want to have them over at the house full time, she takes every opportunity to love on her grandchildren. The first morning after we arrived back in Zambia, Maddie asked "Where's Grammy?" Our children miss their Grammy and my sister's children are lucky for the time that they have with her!
I could go on and expand this list even further, but for time sake and for your reading eyes, I'll stop here. I just thought it was important to take some time out of the normal blogging routine and share with you a piece of the blessing that my mom has been and continues to be for me and my family.
Happy Mothers Day Mom! We love you!
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