The tools my Mother gave me!

As Mother's Day came to a close yesterday, I thought about all the tools my mom has given me. The tools we need to survive, to live, to love, to give, to fight when necessary and the tools to teach our own children.

I want to thank my mom for thinking about my future. She trained me up in the way I should go but you need to know.... I did not take the exact path she so diligently prayed and worked tirelessly for. Putting that aside when the fire of life breathed heavily down on me in high school, then college and into adulthood and now motherhood, I have her to thank for the hope she gave me.

She has passed on the tool of perseverance, the tool of not living by feelings but by honor and commitment, the tool of fighting for what is true and right for my family and for myself. The tool of bravery, the tool of consistency and the tool of always looking inside FIRST. The tool of encouragement and servant hood and the tool of self respect. The tool of how to become a wise women, the tool of admonishing myself and not giving into shame and guilt. The tool of loving without judgment, the tool of forgiving without condemning and the tool of believing without seeing. 

Now that being said I do not always use these tools she gave her life to teach me but having them rooted into my being helps to practice them and pass them on to my children.

I closed my eyes at the end of the day hoping my children can say that I gave them a similar tool box for life, necessary tools to withstand the snarls of cruelty that will appear and a joyful spirit to enjoy the laughter in between.

Thank you Mom for a job well done, for never giving up on me, for continuing to pray for me and spur me on, for parenting with joy and supporting the passion in me to pursue a life worth living.

I love you, I love you, I love you,

Your Grateful Daughter