Happy Mother's Day

I want to express a few thoughts about how blessed I am to have a wonderful mom and mother-in-law and to be married to an amazing mom.

Growing up in a family with five children is a challenge. And yet, even with all of the challenges of life, I was blessed to have a mom who was always there. When school dismissed and I got home, I always knew she would greet me and ask about my day. When I had special projects due at school, I knew that Mom would sit with me to help and make sure it was just right. As a family we sat around the table to eat dinner together every evening. Our laundry was always done and our house clean. All of the little things that I took for granted, I now realize were important things that required planning and preparation to be ready on time.

But it wasn’t just taking care of our physical and educational needs because Mom was a force in molding my life spiritually. She was the one I heard praying for me and saw leading by example through involvement in ministry at the church. Mom was the one kneeling by me when I asked Christ to be my Savior. She encouraged me to pursue God’s plan for my life and do whatever I had to do to accomplish that plan. She was the one who took the time to get up and help me when I had bad earaches as a kid, sat with me in the hospital when my appendix had burst and I was not very pleasant, and was there when I walked down the aisle to receive my diploma when I graduated from college. I’m so thankful for a mom who was there with me every step of the way and is still there when I call her today.

My mother-in-law first entered my life as the wife of the new pastor of the church I grew up in. She poured into my life through teaching me about ministry and impacting people in the church. And she was most helpful in helping me understand her daughter, who caught my eye. When we went through rough patches, she offered counsel and always allowed us to figure it out without forcing her choices on us. When untrue rumors were going around about us as a young couple, she didn’t try to fix the problem but simply asked one question: “Is it true?” When we told her it wasn’t, she told us to quit worrying about it and move on with life because the problem was not our problem! I’ve had many wonderful discussions about life and ministry with my mother-in-law, and I will always be thankful for those times she invests in me.

Then there’s Tami—a devoted and loving mom. I know that most of the men reading this would be able to say the same thing about their wives, but I want to say thank you, Tami, for being the mom you are to our children. You are the glue that holds us together and our kids have become the wonderful adults they are because of you. You did all the stuff that I couldn’t do to keep them on track. You have taught our children what it is to be loved and to love, and now they are impacting others from what you’ve taught them.

There you have it: three amazing women who have impacted my life.