i celebrate a happy mother's day, because i celebrate a happy mother

so, if you have been reading here a while, you know a little about my mom. i would not say i have a perfect relationship with my mom. {show me someone who does, if you ever meet them.} but i am okay with that. i realize that the little one growing in me will not have a perfect relationship with me, or i with him or her. but i do hope it is the best that it can be.

but i digress... this post is about my mama. first of all, she loves dandelions. that's been stated here before. and it's the reason i stopped in my front yard on my way back from my walk on this most gorgeous 70-degree spring day to pick a few dandelions... so that i could photograph them for my mother's day post.

i point this out, because my mother's love for dandelions is so indicative and telling of the contentment, joy and happiness in her life. and this happens to be one of the most valuable things she has ever passed on to me. and thus, i only hope to continue on in that legacy as a mother.

here is my point. many people see dandelions as a nuisance. but my mother never minded them that way... even when she had her own five-acre property to mow. she saw them as positively resilient and tenacious. she has always appreciated them because they are one of the first signs that spring has truly arrived. you might say, she is an optimist... her glass is half full. in fact, often completely full.

i won't lie. there are times when my mother's pollyanna spirit is a little too much for me. i've had times where i did not want to hear another word she was telling me, because i wanted to wallow in my sadness or hurt or disappointment on that day... in the reason i called her up on the phone. i just wanted her to console me and say, "oh, sweetheart, i'm so sorry... that sure does stink!" {or something to that nature}. and there have been times that she does do that.

but more often than not, she is replying to my vocality of troubles and woes with words of cheer or reminders to trust or let something go or not dwell on the negative or be thankful for what i do have. i could go on and on about her positive messages in response to my negativity or sadness or disappointment. often, it's a mini-sermon. often, it's a very long sermon. sometimes it's just a bible verse to remind me. sometimes it's just a story of her own or someone else that would put me in my place or give me a different perspective.

to be brutally honest, there have been times where i hoped i could call her and tell her something, and just have her listen... no sermon. no bible verse. no advice. and on days when i got something other than just her listening ear, i may have hung up frustrated... thinking that old saying about when someone is so spiritually minded that they are of no earthly good.

don't get me wrong. i think there is a time and a place for us to say certain things and other times and places where saying nothing is better. and there is a time to weep with others or be empathetic or sympathetic when appropriate.

but i am {and should be} truly grateful to have a mom who, for 39 years, has told me to "buck up"... it's not so bad. she has tried to instill that tough, pioneer spirit into me. and that spirit is definitely something i could use more of.

even just recently, my mom listened to me tell her how overwhelmed i was feeling with everything as i approach full term pregnancy... and tired, exhausted and so very sore. i began to cry into the phone. here's what she said. "go read psalm 90:14 and 15."

so i did.

"satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil."

she told me those are the verses she is trying to live by these days. then she told me to "enjoy this day" and find laughter in it. my mom has been through a lot. and her life is not perfect or even "ideal" at times. but she lives in the moment... trusting, hoping, rejoicing, celebrating, expecting. it's not that she is never sad or hurt or disappointed or angry or confused or lonely or weary. but she dwells in the opposite of those words. she dwells in the shelter of the Most High and thus, abides in the shadow of the Almighty.

this is what i will remember most about my mom. and as a mother about to embark on leaving an example for my own child, it's what i want to be remembered for, too.

so, i thank you, mom... for all that you are and all that you exemplify. happy mother's day to a happy mom. thank you for living that legacy of joy out for me.