I am Real...

"Real isn't how you are made. It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you...REALLY loves you, then you become REAL." (The Velveteen Rabbit). Mother's Day. I think it may be my new favorite day. I was greeted in bed by two very excited, jammied babies who showered me with kisses, snuggles, and "I love you, Mommy"s. And was then presented with this masterpiece: and on it continued..... Oh, my little loves. Let me count the million ways I love you... Ever since my journey of motherhood began, I have become a different person. A better person. These little loves have transformed my heart and soul in ways I never knew possible. I see life in more beautiful ways. I enjoy the simple things. I have become more patient, more accepting. I have learned that true beauty is seen with the soul....not with our eyes (as evidenced by my children always telling me I am beautiful when I have no makeup on and hair piled on top of my head). I have learned that time is one of the most precious gifts we have, because is is irreplaceable. And there is no greater gift that anyone can ever give, than the gift of their time. Whether it is time to sit and color, or read, or do puzzles with the little ones, or even pick up the phone to just to say "I've missed you" or "have been thinking of you today". It is the one thing I try to give my babies, my husband, my family and friends each and everyday. Time. And it is the ONLY thing I ever want from my family and friends. I have also learned how to love...really LOVE...unconditionally and without stipulation. And it is this love that makes me REAL. All because I was given the gift of motherhood. It's ironic, really. As I have been trying to teach my little loves about this beautiful life we have been given, it is they who have really taught me how to LIVE.

Speaking of love, let me just take a moment to celebrate my mother. She is everything... beauty, happiness, laughter, strength, joy, sweetness, fun, faith-filled, and pure LOVE...all wrapped up in this radiant package. Anyone who knows her will always say, " I love your mom. She is always so sweet and happy...". And she is. She truly is happy. Ask her why and she'll tell you first and foremost because of her children. Four children who love and adore her as much as they love their very existence. It is said that our capacity to learn is greatest when taught through example, and I truly have had the greatest example of how to be the BEST mother. And how blessed I am that she is not only my mother, but also my best friend. The one person in the whole world who has never let me down, and never will. She may be REAL because she was loved by her children. But she is loved because of who she is and who people become when they are with her....HAPPY and LOVED. I can say, without hestiation, that if I become half the person my mother is, than I am forever blessed.

There are so many mothers in my life who have impacted me in more ways than I can count. The birth mothers who became mothers so that another woman could also become a mother and share in this amazing journey. The single mothers who do everything alone, but never allow their children to feel that there is someone missing. The mother-in-laws, who are loved deeply for the amazing man, husband, and father that they raised and that I benefit from, each and every day. It is a testament to the incredible mother that she is. To the mothers who became part of our family, and have been loved and honored for all that they give each and everyday...without any of the credit. And to the grandmothers, who have been given eternal rest, for all that they gave and for all of the life lessons that still resonate in our hearts every single day. We love you and we miss you. It has been said that it takes a village to raise a family. I love my village and I love my family.

My sister, Rachel and her birth son, Matthew.

There are also all of the invisible women. The women who feel as though no one ever sees the work that they do each and everyday. This is for the woman who is asked, "...oh, so you don't work? What do you do all day?". Right, I don't work....

As mothers we are building the cathedrals of tomorrow. Stone by stone, brick by brick. And while the work can be tedious, slow going, and back breaking at times, the finished product is our greatest reward. And anyone knows that anything worth doing, is never easy. I hope that you had a wonderful Mother's Day surrounded by the little loves who made you a mother, and maybe even with your own beautiful mother. And if your mother has already been called to her eternal home, I pray that your Mother's Day was filled with warm, loving memories. Yes, this is definitely my favorite day. And today I am more real than I have ever been. Thank you, my little loves.... "Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words." -2 Corinthians 9:15 (NLT)