Just like Mommy

This probably isn't going to go the way you thought it would.  You're reading this thinking I uncovered a letter I wrote when I was 7, had a good cry and got all sentimental.  Nope.  And, after having a day like I've had with my two daughters, neither of them wants to be just like their mommy.  Trust me - it was worse than bad.  But this isn't about me.  This is dedicated to my mom, a beautiful, full of laughter, gray-haired, 50-something-year-old grandmother of three adorable girls, two of which happen to be my daughters.  (She's also an English fanatic, so I apologize for any grammar errors up front.)

My mom and I are both teachers, so we have a little extra time off during the summers.  One of her most favorite things in the world is spending time with her granddaughters.  OK, it's probably her MOST favorite, but my dad might be reading this and I don't want to hurt his feelings.  Anywho, we get to spend more time together between May and August than we do at any other point in the year.  We play and eat... and I watch.  I watch her with my baby girls.  I see the joy in her eyes when my oldest daughter greets her at the door.  I see a smile stretch across her face when my youngest rolls across the room to touch her.  I see her make up songs and dances and sing them over and over.  I watch her change nasty diapers and get spit up all over her clean clothes.  Never once does she show frustration.  Never does she criticize my parenting.  Never does she hint that she would rather be anywhere else in the world other than with my daughters.

So, why the title "Just like Mommy"?  I won't go into a lot of detail about the things I've learned from my mom because she's reading this and wouldn't want the attention.  Just let me say this: my mom loves her God and she loves her family fiercely.  She will absolutely drop everything when someone she loves needs her.  She is one of my strongest prayer partners, even when I haven't asked her to pray for something specifically.  She gives more grace and compassion on a daily basis than most people could muster up in a lifetime.  Yes, I am almost 30 years old and I am learning daily just how much I want to be like my mom.  (If I haven't run my daughters off by the time they're 30, I hope they feel the same way about me.)

"Her children arise and call her blessed..." - Proverbs 31:7