Under Mom's Love Tree

~ Post by Melanie ~  A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path. ~ Agatha Christie  Who wouldn't feel blessed to have a mother who took her walk with God seriously and with great discipline? Living in the same town for seventeen years and uprooting to a new location my senior year of high school was something that came out of that devotion to God. We laugh to this day about the time when Mom told the family that she had been praying the Prayer of Jabez -- "enlarge my boundaries, oh God". Yep, God took her seriously and we followed! (Amazingly, it was perfect timing; I like change and that same year, I met the man who would become my husband.) My mother has fibromyalgia (which wasn't diagnosed until later) and lives with major pain. You usually wouldn't know since she is so good at smiling through it. She made sure that I was able to enjoy my last year of school and did a lot of my "old" chores without complaint. Then when Shawn popped the question, my mother was right there to make sure all the details of the best wedding could take place. During the time when many mother/daughter relationships are strained, we got along so well  and have such pleasant memories. (Probably helps that I was such a great kid, huh?!) The sheltering didn't stop there. I am privileged to live close to my mom, and she is my very best friend. We shopped all the time my first few years of marriage, she answered the many phone calls that had a question at the other end, and continued to spoil me with her attention. When baby 1 and 2 arrived, she made sure I had company at the hospital and then stayed with me at home to help me during the night with much needed rest -- even though she needed hers as well. When my last baby arrived, she came over and took care of all the kids so I could close my door and sleep during the day. She will sometimes come over and take a child off my hands for a couple hours so I can relax. She helps with making sure my kids have plenty of clothing. Might I add that she also took the time to clothe me well when I was younger? Even going as far as making me clothing -- that "just so happened" to look exactly like hers! Matchy, matchy. HA! Thank goodness times have changed in that department and now she does a fine job spoiling me with clothing for my kids. I remember a time I went through a physical and emotional downhill -- I actually sent her shopping for my kids so they would have clothes since it overwhelmed me to do so during that time. Mother's Day 2009 Do you see a steady show of sheltering through what I am sharing with you? Sure, I could go on and on, but hey, she's not your mother or might not be your relative, so it won't mean as much to you, and I am sure you've already gotten the point I am trying to convey. My mother is such a sturdy, selfless, and sweet shelter-er to me, my husband and children. I am blessed.  I trust some of you have been able to have this kind of sheltering mother. If not, maybe it was a relative or a close friend who filled in the gap. I can only pray that I will learn from my mother's example and be strong for my children. Sure I will slip up -- already have -- but with time and practice, they hopefully will love to come to me for shelter -- just as I continue to do.

           

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