Sundays: A Day of Thanks

As today has been (traditionally, in the life of the Church) a day of celebration and thanksgiving, I thought Sunday would be an appropriate day to talk about the things I'm thankful for. This week, I'd like to say thanks to: my mom.

It sounds stereotypical and such, but as I watch my kids grow, there are a few things I've learned by her example that I'm incredibly grateful for.

1) For using her words to build up her children instead of tearing them down: This holds especially true for my teenage years. Back then, I used to think my mom just wasn't as clever as I was, that she was unable to come up with good insults to hurl back at me when my tongue was wagging away foolishly. Now, I know the depth of wisdom and maturity it took to respond with love and discipline instead of lashing out. As my son starts testing verbal limits, I know how to handle it. And it's mostly because of my mom's example, as well as my dad's.

2)For never fighting with my dad in front of us: Yes, they would disagree in front of us, but a fight? Never saw it. I'm sure they happened behind closed doors, but in general, my parents did a good job of having a united front when dealing with us, and also when interacting with one another. It didn't give me an unrealistic view of marriage at all; on the contrary, they showed by their words and actions the appropriate way to handle conflict. This also holds true for trusting my dad's decisions for what was best for our family, even if she didn't agree or understand. I don't think there have been many times in their marriage like that, but of the few times that this has occurred, she has done the right thing.

3)For continually praying for her children: We were all difficult in our own ways, but I think it was her continued stream of prayer that helped us grow up to be well-adjusted, functioning adults with a love of the Lord.

4) For NOT being a short-order cook: This should probably be "for not catering to our every whim," but it's the little examples, like not fixing us whatever we wanted for dinner, that stand out in my mind. She would make stuff that we liked, but, say, if five of us liked a dish and one of us didn't, too bad. No food until the next day. It taught us to try every new thing, and even old things, because we found that we grew to like (or at least tolerate) foods we used to say that we couldn't stand.

So mom, even though it isn't Mother's Day, I'd like to tell you just how much I appreciate the way you raised us, and I hope I can be as good a mom to my kids as you were to me.