are you my mother?

i had a mother.
 i had an incredible mother. her name was laura. my momma was a wife, a mother of 4, a nurse and many have told me-one of the kindest most faith filled people they ever knew. she lived only 30 years.
when she died, way to young her mother irene took on that role of mother to me.

my gram could be a tough one. she didn't take any sass. she worked hard and expected
her family (all of us) to work hard too. i know now that hard work never hurt anyone : ), in fact
i like to think it builds character. my gram was quite a character. if a whole bunch of her kids and grandkids sit around a campfire and reminisce about her-we can tell stories-man can we tell stories! she was a free spirit--with ideas and opinions that were rare for a woman of her era.  she had raised 7 children and didn't have to take on two more, but she did and i think i am about the same age as she was when she became not only my gram but my mother. i don't know if i'd have the energy to start over- but i'd like to think i wouldn't hesitate for even a moment if i were in her shoes.

and then there is my aunt dar. she too has been like a mother to me. she and my mother were very close, and dar spent a lot of time with our family before she got married. my sister and i have been very blessed by her in our lives. we took turns staying with her and her family on their farm when we were in our early teens and while our aunt worked outside the home my sister and i practiced being a mother-by cooking, cleaning for her and trying to keep her 3 wild boys from killing one other. some days it was harder than others to accomplish that task!!!  we both love to tease them about all the trouble they caused us and how they have us to thank for the fact that they even survived -but all kidding aside, her boys are like 3 more brothers to me and i adore them.  after my grandparents were gone dar included my sis and i in their family's holidays and made us feel like we belonged.

i have been blessed by friend's mothers too, thank you leslie and cindy for sharing your sweet mamas and letting them mother me in the way i craved. i don't think any of us every outgrows our need to feel nurtured and "mothered" by someone.

if you are one of those remarkable woman who has loved a child that you did not give birth to, then thank you from the bottom of my heart- it has meant more to me than i could ever tell you to have had several woman who so graciously and lovingly took me under their wing and
shared their love. 

do you remember when you were little and you'd think about what you wanted to be when you grew up? i do, i wanted to be a mommy. i wanted 3 children and i got my hearts desire. i love those three kids of mine something fierce. they are what i live for. when they are happy i am content. when they are sad i am miserable. when you become a mother you wear your heart outside your body.

this is a week that is all about mothers. if you have one-please let her know what you love about her-tell her while you still can. heap love on her till she yells "STOP" like she had to a million times when you were young!  : )

                        "if you have a mother,
               there is nowhere you are likely to go
      that a prayer has not already been."       robert brault

xo, beth