Happy Mother’s Day

 She never had to be in the spotlight.

 She just led us with the most loving Christ-like example in the whole wide world.

My mom and I were talking the other day about how much she loved sports, and that she probably helped my brothers from Heaven in their basketball careers and we laughed that maybe she could help Max in his round of state volleyball on Saturday.

I swear she did because it was the tightest match in the world and they came out with a win.

I’m so grateful for these mothers who teach me so much in my mothering:

 (Charity doesn’t have kids YET, but boy does she ever mother all of ours!)

And those mother examples have expanded to all these mothers.

 And this mother here in the middle:

 …raised my husband.

How can you ever thank someone enough for that?

She continues to inspire me with her wisdom and insights and love and I’m so grateful for her, and the fact that she gave me all these mothering examples:

…and all the teachers who have mothered my children.

I adore this post my sister-in-law put on Instagram…so much that it made me tear up.  (HERE)

…. because it is so true.

It takes a village to raise children and I’m so grateful for all the mothering that goes on around me in so many ways and forms and love-languages.

So to all those mothers out there…the ones who have biological children or not, the ones who have mothered me, my children, my friends, my husband, that random lady who gave me a compliment in the middle of a rough day, those teachers who have put up with tantrum after tantrum from my spitfire daughter they sometimes don’t understand and driven carpool after carpool for me when I can’t keep up without asking for anything in return.  To those who have given the high fives and the encouragement at church and on the playground and in the grocery store and at a random gas station, who have brought us dinner and given us the benefit of the doubt when we do dumb things.  THANK YOU for lifting where you stand and loving others unconditionally.

Because that’s what mothers do.

Happy Mother’s Day.