The Third Child

Today is my mother's birthday.  I won't divulge her age, but I will tell you that she wears it well.  Her secret? Moisturizer.  Although she had 4 girls, she wasn't one to tell us how to dress or make a big to-do about makeup or hair styles.  The only comment I heard her say regarding outward beauty when I was growing up was that we needed to make sure we moisturized starting at a young age.  

Her lack of emphasis on outward beauty is just one characteristic that I've grown to love and respect.

My mother is the third child in her family, so am I.  As a child she always made a point to make sure I knew that I wasn't 'forgotten' or overlooked.  This doesn't mean she was perfect, I vividly remember being left at Lincoln Elementary School on at least one occasion, but who doesn't?  It also doesn't mean that she favored me or treated me any differently than my sisters.  I just remember her commenting on how she struggled as the third child to not feel kind of lost in the shuffle.  When those times came that I did feel forgotten or didn't know where I belonged, I knew deep down that my mom was my 'kindrid spirit' in this area.  I knew that any insecurity I was feeling wasn't based on truth, and that I wasn't forgotten.

As I prepare to welcome our third child into this world I feel a great responsibility to pass this bond I've shared with my mother on to this little guy...and ultimately, to all of my children. 

As I prepare, physically, for labor the respect I have for my mother grows as well.  My comings into this world was quite long and drawn out.  Keep in mind that technology has changed just a little since 1983, but my original due date was somewhere in late December, early January.  It was later changed to late January.  I was born on February 18...after being induced!  

I'm on the eve of the due date for this little guy and I cannot imagine being pregnant 2 more weeks!

 Her labor of love was only beginning on that day.  She knew and embraced it. 

 I recently read a quote by Ann Voskamp that sums up my mothers labor of love for her children well. 

"A mother's labor and delivery never ends and for years she has to remember to just take a deep breath. Whole battles can be won by one breath and a prayer at a time."

She sacrificed many things to be the mother she is, and I'm sure she'd do it all over again...if nothing else just to have the grand kids!

I realized that I don't have any pictures of my mom and me together.  Wrong, I know, but true.  I'm sure I have some buried somewhere in a photo album, but that was before the digital era and before perms were outlawed.  We won't share those.

Instead I thought I'd share pictures of my mom doing what she loves most...being a grandma.

My mother has taught me many things, but the biggest things she has taught me have been through humble, quiet labors.  By her actions she has taught me how to love when not loved in return, to be slow to speak and even slower to judge, and to invest in the lives of others even when they can't return the gesture.  In recent years she has taught me how to love the Lord with all; that a relationship with the Lord is just that.  It takes investment, time, and commitment.

Mom, you are loved more than you'll ever know and respected beyond words.

Happy Birthday,

Love,

Dollie