Happy Mother's Day 2007....

This is kind of a random picture but the only one we took on Mother's Day that is horizontal!!
My ode to Mothers....
I have a lot of mother's in my life. I have my mom (Pam mother of 5), my mother in law (Bubbles, mother of two-loving husband included), Nana (Italian mother of two and my children's "Texas Nana") my grandma GG, mother of two and Grandmother, (mother of three!) my sisters, Jann & Jill are both Mothers of two amazing children (my precious nieces and nephews, my sisters-in-law Elise & Colette each have two children (more amazing nieces and nephew). My cousin Michelle (mother of one and one on the way from another country no less!) There is my friend... Amanda who mothers Olivia & Dylan with grace, my friend Kirsten, a tender picture of motherhood, mother of Simone, there is my entire MOMS group that has met for three years....pushing, praying, cheering each other on....Monica (mother of three), Beth (two and one on the way!), Misty (baby #1 on the way!), & me, Amanda & Colette. There is an entire fleet of Lindaman girl cousins that are moms (and boy cousins' wives!) All of them....a picture of motherhood.... Lori, Lisa, Karen, Karlynn, Nicki, Michelle, Sandy, Kym, Linda, Camie, Cara, Carla & Crystal! All MOMS!!! then there are their mothers....my aunts....Auntie Jean Ann, Auntie Theda, Auntie Jan, Auntie Ellen, Auntie Carol, Chris' precious Aunt Jan and Bubbles Beloved Sister Aunt Nancy (mother of three and already with Jesus!) Then there are "moms" like our precious Gail who has never given birth but has mothered more babies than she could count!
Should I go on?
Here is the tribute....When you're a mom......you don't make the Who's Who's list?! You don't get praise and compliments for how many times you pack a lunch for school, or change a dirty diaper, or potty training, or driving boys to baseball practice. You don't get a standing ovation for sitting at gymnastics watching your girls, or teaching your child manners. Nobody beats down your door to say.....Hey...I've seen how hard you are working with your kids and I'd love to just compliment you (and give you two hours off). There is not a lot in the way of "encouragement" day to day as a mom. Our children say things like "that's not fair, or I want more, or NO MOMMY" and our husbands are busy at work. But somebody was Einstein's mom, and CS Lewis, and Churchill. Some mother prayed for John Wesley, for Martin Luther King. Somebody was a mother to the cashier we see at Randalls every week and somebody worked so they could feed their children, stopped working so they could be a mom. One common thought among moms is.... " Every other mom has it together but me!" and that is the bubble that needs to pop. Everyone has laundry, grocery lists, unmended clothes, bills to be paid, meals to be cooked, apologizes to be said, merchandize to return, guilt and children who think they are the "most beautiful mom in the world".
Here's to the moms in my life. For paving the way, for coming along side, for being real, for sharing the load. Here's to real women everywhere that GOD ordained, or as it says in Timothy "enabled us for this ministry" (I'm wondering if it's a ministry, if we could get a little extra funding and some volunteers??). Here's to motherhood ladies and a few good hours of rest!