A tribute to mothers (and fathers)

(My parents and Grandparents)
(Nathan and His parents and Grandparents)

I know, this kind of post is supposed to occur around Mother's Day, but I would like to express my new found appreciation for mothers. I always knew that mothers loved their children and worked hard, but I never knew how much a mother could love or how much a mother works until I became one myself.

To me a mother is someone who will love you no matter what. This means a mother is willing to change your clothes 4 times in one day because of spit up mishaps and diaper explosions. She is willing to do anything to make you happy. Right now that consists of a lot of food, bouncing, rocking, and talking in that funny high-pitched voice just to get a smile.

A mother is someone who will put herself last. Little did I know that this would mean that breakfast would be at noon and a shower (if I had energy to take one that day) wouldn't be until Nathan came home from work. It also means willingly (and sometimes grudgingly) getting up every 3 to 4 hours in the night to feed a crying baby, making sure the baby is dressed in her cutest outfit while you wear your pajamas all day, and postponing all outings with friends for a couple of months to avoid the swine flu pandemic. The bible teaches that the greatest will be servants. It is clear to me that mothers are one of the greatest!

This has made me ponder on my parents and how they have truly shown their love for me. As a child, I don't think you truly know what goes on. I pretty much expected to have clean clothes, clean bedroom, food, christmas and birthday gifts, and anything else I figured I needed. I didn't realize the hard work my dad put into his job to provide for us, or the efforts my mom made in taking care of 6 kids and all of their needs / wants.

More recently, I have seen how Nathan's mom has dropped everything to help a new struggling mom. Nathan's mom came to stay with us for the first week after Olivia was born. Many times during the first week, when I was in the hospital for an infection, I would feed Olivia and then, tired and exhausted, I would hand her off to her grandma, who was more than willing to do what needed to be done. Thanks to both sets of Moms and Dads for showing us an example of love and work - for showing us how to be good parents.