As I wind down from a great Mother’s Day weekend I am filled with awe and wonder over the two wonderful & beautiful daughters that I have! I am so blessed to call them mine and filled with gratitude over the realization that they have grown into such awesome women! As a mother you often pray and hope that you will have a positive impact on your children and the adults that they become. But, rarely do we think about the reverse. Rarely, do we think of how they as adults might impact us as parents or the effect they may have on our lives. More specifically, and in commemoration of Mother’s Day – how our grown daughters may effect us as mothers!
Theresa, Linda, Tanya – July 4th, 2011
I became a mother for the first time in Oct. 1969 when I gave both to my son. That means I’ve celebrated 44 Mother’s Days!! Wow, how time flies when you are having fun! It hasn’t always been sunshine and roses by no stretch of the imagination – but if anyone would have told me how wonderful it would be to be the mother to two grown daughters – I would have gotten here quicker!!
Theresa is mother to 5 children. Tanya is step-mother of one. They have both suffered disappointment and heartache but have come through it gracefully.
Theresa is a fun-loving, gregarious, outgoing personality. She lives her life to the fullest among many setbacks. She is a single mother that works very hard to provide for her family. She’s creative & talented and loves her kids! She inspires me to be more tolerant & understanding of those around me. No matter what race or religion you are, Theresa will be your friend.
Tanya is a more reserved but a very kind & generous personality. She prefers a more “private & quiet” existence with her Police officer, husband, Rob. She has great business & money sense and loves to bless others with the fruit of her labor! Because of Tanya’s influence I have found myself being friendlier with the girl at the check out counter. Tanya inspires me to be more kind and generous with those around me and to avoid keeping score. No matter how little or much she has, she is always planting seed in the lives of others.
This weekend it just became so much more apparent to me of how blessed I am to have these two beautiful women in my life! It is so much fun raising little ones, but when they are grown and I see all that they have become – I can’t help but be thankful for the way God has moved in their lives and blessed me, as their mother!
Tanya, 34, Theresa, 36 – 2014
Friday evening, Tanya drove in from Wichita Falls, TX to spend some mother/daughter time together. She’s a Type A, hardworking lady who rarely takes time off as a Realtor. She took me for a manicure/pedicure shortly after arriving and then we met her sister at the Theater for a movie. Theresa had already blessed me with some really cute sandals, a wooden cross she had made and a Daytimer to keep track of all my projects! 
Aren’t they cute? They are very comfortable, too!
The picture doesn’t really do justice to this beautiful cross that Theresa made me. Maybe I should have it on a blank wall rather than this busy wallpaper? But, this is my prayer closet – a place I thought was appropriate for it.
Naturally, and as expected, neither of my daughters would let me spend any money this weekend! I am so blessed!! Tanya knew that after taking care of grandsons as much as I have and feeling the pain of a 20 lb. weight gain over the last 3 years that I was needing some “retail therapy”. So, Saturday we had a “girl day” of shopping. It still amazes me at how frustrating it used to be (when Tanya was a teen) when we went shopping. We never liked the same thing and she was (and still is) so tiny that the clothing she wanted and that was age appropriate was too large for her petite frame. In order for clothes to fit, she had to shop in the children’s department or have adult clothing altered. She would get so frustrated and I would get so tired of even trying to help her find something! We didn’t shop well together at all! Nowadays, we love to shop together and both always find something pretty and new! What amazes us most is how often we will spot something and call attention to it, only to find out the other was looking at the very same item! Our taste is clothing is very similar now. I guess my tastes have gotten “younger” and hers have gotten more mature? Not sure, but we sure have fun helping each other put outfits together and trying on clothes together.
We took a break while hubby met us for lunch at Cracker Barrel. He doesn’t like Cracker Barrel much – but it was “all about me” yesterday (Tanya made me promise)…but I compromised by using an Olive Garden gift card Tanya gave me to take him to his favorite eating establishment today after church.
I am a grateful person. Gratitude comes naturally to me. But, today I am especially grateful! I received 6 text messages this morning from different girlfriends wishing me a Happy Mother’s Day. I also received a beautiful (very private) letter from my hubby that brought tears to my eyes. While at church, my sister-in-law gave me a beautiful card that had a very personal, sincere loving message written inside. It also made me cry. Then, just a little while ago after getting home from Olive Garden my step-granddaughter, Lani wrote a text that said, “Happy Mother’s Day! Thanks to you, you brought a beautiful lady in this world that takes care of my dad and loves me like her own. I am so happy you are my family! Have a beautiful day, Maw Maw! I love you.” Wow, what more could a mom, grandma want?
I am truly inspired by all this kindness and love to be the best human being I can be and to pay it forward as often as I can. A more recent quote I read that I truly try to embrace says, “A rejected opportunity to give is a lost opportunity to receive”.
Happy Mother’s Day, friends! Inspire someone as my daughters have done me. It costs nothing and the rewards are immeasurable.
dancingthruyears 