Unconditional Love . . .

The picture above is a picture of my Mom and I. It was taken on the day my Mom and Dad brought my sister Cathy home from the hospital, I am 22 months old and my Mom is 24 years old. The picture is one of very few that I have of just my Mom and me. As Mother's Day approaches I honor her as my Mother, I also honor my children, for being blessed as their Mother has been my greatest joy.

My Mom grew up in a family of 9 children and she was one of the last ones born in the family so she grew up very close to her Mother. She always called her "Mama". I'm sure she learned most of her parenting skills from my Grandma as I learned mine from my Mother.

We were never alone, Mom was always there for us. I picture her as a Mother Hen with all her chicks gathered around her. Actually that's exactly how it was on many occasions, all of us standing in a dark kitchen, looking out the kitchen window towards the highway, gathered around Mom, waiting to see a car with a left hand blinker light blinking, then we would all heave a sigh of relief because Dad was going to be home in a minute. But really, we are all gathered around her, with her arms surrounding us, safe with Mom.

She had the great ability to make us all feel special. She was not a person to say I Love You with words, yet she said it in so many other ways. She was the glue that held all of us together, she was very powerful for such a little person.

I love my Mother so much, continue to talk her several times a day and feel her love, know that she looks down on me with love. At night, before I go to bed I tell her and Dad that I miss them and love them. I don't know how such an unassuming woman was able to inspire such love but somehow she did it and I thank God that she was my Mother. Thus the title, Unconditional Love - she was the only person who loved me unconditionally - just as, I, Love my children -

A Mother's Love - there is nothing else like it!

Now, as far as me being a Mother. It is a great joy and privilege that I brought these 4 wonderful people into the world. I know I wasn't the Mother that my Mom was, for one thing, I didn't know what in the heck I was doing. I had never held a baby until I held Mike for the first time. My mother and father would come over every night to make sure he was okay when he went to bed and be back the next morning to make sure he made it through the night. They did not want to trust the first boy in the family to me of all people! By the time I had Tina I was an old hand at this mothering thing and just about the time I thought, I can do this, I had Erik and Jeff! Life took a right turn!

I had 4 kids under 5 years old - Mike was 5 and Erik & Jeff were born on Tina's 3rd birthday! Life was a lot more interesting and I was thrilled to have all these little people to love. I'm sure they could give you a whole different take on it!

For a long time Mother's Day for me was always about my Mother, even after she had died. Then I figured out, hey I'm these kids Mother, maybe they love me like I loved my Mom. I don't think so, I really think I'm a little obsessive about my Mom and I also drive all my kids crazy. I drive them crazy in different ways for each kid but I do drive them nuts. I do tell them "I LOVE You" and I also remind them that "I gave you life!" to remind all of them they'd be nowhere without me but I can get a hug, a kiss and a smile out of each one of them, so that's all I need to make me happy.

~I am so PROUD of my kids ~

~PROUD of the people they've become ~

&

~PROUD to be their Mother !

Here is a picture of our family taken a few years ago

Kenny & I created beautiful children

So as we celebrate Mother's Day

I thank God for the Mother I had

and

I thank God for being given the blessing of being a Mother to

Michael, Tina, Erik & Jeff!

My thought to leave with you this time is: A mother's love is like a circle; it has no beginning and no ending.

Until next time . . .