In Dedication To My Mother

When I Think of Mom

Faithful- My Mom never misses a church service -even when she should probably stay at home because she isn't feeling well or she's out of town on vacation she still finds a church and makes it to mass every Sunday. This has taught me to know where my priorities are and know the importance of GOD in my live and in the lives of my family.
⁸ “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who ^[a]stays with you. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy." (Exodus 20: 8-11)

A Reader- she always has a book in her hand. Always! Without a book at her disposal, she feels as lost as most of you feel when you accidently leave your phone at home. She feels absolutely lost if she doesn't have a book in hand.  When I was younger, I remember her filling what little free time she had with her face buried in a novel. When thinking of your Mothers, most of you may have different senses come to mind. While most of you may be reminded of your mother by a certain perfume or the smell of freshly bloomed flowers because gardening is her favorite past time but for me, my Mom's "smell" (not literally-just what smell comes to mind when I think of her) would be the smell of a book. You know the smell I am speaking of right? The smell the library has. Extremely difficult to describe -maybe like glue, old ink, mustiness? However one would describe it is neither here nor there-as I am certain we all know what smell I am referring to. Although, it is not a scent chosen by women to wear as a fragrance on their wrist it is actually a very nice smell, in my opinion. The smell of a book has a sense of comfort  and calmness that comes with it and when I think of smells that remind me of my Mother it would most certainly be the smell of pages of a book. I love that she has a hobby and she finds escape and enjoyment by reading books and having what she used to call "quiet time."

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." Ecc 3:1

 "Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." Mark 6:31

Sacrifice- when I think of my Mother I think of all the sacrifices she made for us. I didn't realize this until I was older and a Mother myself but my Mom sacrificed so much to make sure we were always cared for and happy. This often meant weeks, maybe months without peaceful time by herself. This meant a pretty non-existent social life for both herself and my Dad. This meant she would not buy the new outfit she had her heart set on so she could afford the newest- coolest pair of cheer-leading shoes, or some other "please, Mom" item one of us girls would come begging her for. I also know now, after being a Mother myself that she sacrificed her body for us. I sometimes look at my stretch marked skin and sagging breasts and remember what I used to look like before being a mother but right when I start to feel the self esteem scale tip to the lowest point I remember how my life was before being a Mom and how it has only been enriched and blessed by my boys. I then see the stretch marks as just proof of true sacrifice and love. My Mom did the same for me and my three sisters by giving her body to us. I now know she most definitely sacrificed her sleep-she would be up with us when we had an earache, bad dream or sick and vomiting. She would be up in the mornings early to pack the lunches for the day and she probably sacrificed the most sleep in our teen years when she would stay up late worrying about where we were and if we were ok.  I know that there were many other sacrifices she made for us but I would never be able to list them all. Being a Mother myself now, I realize how depleted and empty you can feel if you don't take care of yourself first. I know firsthand the feeling of being sucked dry and as though you have a zillion leaches on you all of the time...I'm not saying my boys are leaches but I have that feeling from time to time that I absolutely cannot give anything more of myself to anyone else. But I do, and so did she. I know now, that she had to have had those exact feelings too.

 ^"And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased" Hebrews 13:16

^" Not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." Philippians 2:4

Patient and Calm- My mom hardly ever lost her temper with us. Instead of yelling she would often turn inward to her own emotions and take to a good cry instead. She is a very cool-headed person and doesn't ever let her anger get the best of her. She knows how to maintain her composure even if difficult situations. I remember growing up seeing her face turn 20 shades of red and her lips purse together when she would start to get upset but she rarely used angry words or words she would later regret. She often just bit her tongue and carried on.
"A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1
 "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." Ephesians 4:29

Simple- My mom has always been a simple kind of woman.  She has never been the one to wear a load of jewelry or have on heaps of makeup accompanied with bright nail polish. She by no means needed the newest, the best, the most expensive of anything. She has lived a modest lifestyle. I love her simplicity. I love that she doesn't worry herself with all the flashiness that other women seem to depend on for confidence.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God-this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will."  Romans 12:1-2

Teacher-All good mothers are teachers in their own right. But my Mom had a special characteristic that she offered as a mother-she was a teacher in the literal sense as teaching was her profession so therefore it enriched her motherly teachings. She had skills that she used in the classroom to help children learn that she transferred to her time teaching us at home. She occasionally would even use her "teacher voice" when talking to us at home. No wonder there were times that I would call her "Mrs. Cottingham" at home and "Mom" at school-I would get so confused. She spoke slowly and calmly and when she would start to get frustrated she would take a deep breath and repeat her slow and calm speech until we eventually got it. As already stated above, she taught us about religion and the importance of living a just life. But she taught life skills such as :  keep trying, never give up, never quit a job without having another one in place first, never burn bridges, always admit you're wrong and say "sorry", she taught us responsibility and so much more.

"According as each hath received a gift, ministering it among yourselves, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." 1 Peter 4:10

" And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching." Titus 2:7

"Teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it." ~ Proverbs 22:6)

I could likely write a small book on all the positive attributes my Mother has but today doesn't allow me the time for that. Maybe someday. I hope my Mom knows that I have seen her sacrifices and I have seen her love shine through all of these years. I love her dearly and want her to have the happiest of Mother's Days!!