Mother's Day 2011

I am a mother.  I am a mother of 4 children.  Well, no, I am a mother of 4 adult children.  And I have much to be proud of and thankful for in them.

My oldest, S, is 28 this mother's day.  He is gainfully employed and has a great view on life.  He smiles more now than in his teenage years, but I was always hopeful that the smiles I remember seeing as a young child would come back.  He had some rough teenage years, no doubt, in large part because of the break up of his parents' marriage.  But he has done the hard work of processing all of that, and now he smiles more.  Part of that is probably also due to a certain young lady, A, in his life.  She is much to smile about, no doubt.  I even caught a pic on FB of S smiling quite contentedly while holding someone's newborn.  I have much reason to be proud of this one.  He will make a great husband and father someday.

My next oldest, S, is 25 this mother's day, but she will very soon be 26.  She is also gainfully employed and also has a great view on life.  She is planning her wedding and working very hard to prepare for it.  She has an easy smile and laughs often.  She loves people, and they love her back.  She is making a mother's day breakfast for her fiance's parents and a mother's day dinner for me and her grandmother.  I hope she gets a break in between for a little nap and down time.  Her special someone, K, is a good match for her.  I am glad he is part of our family.  As with my oldest, I have much reason to be proud of this one.  She will make a great wife and mother someday.

My next adult child, A, is 22 today, and will soon be 23 in early June.  He has just begun college, taking a very big step to attend school in CA.  We just got off the phone; he remembered to call me for mother's day and told me about his classes.  He also has someone special in his life, M, and she often says that I'm her favorite.  She is good for him, helping him prepare for this big step of college.  As with the other two, I have much reason to be proud of A.  He is going after a degree in something he loves and feels passionate about.

My youngest is B.  She is 18 today, but is also having a birthday soon.  She is quite the little trooper, going with the many changes that the recent tornado in our life has caused.  She faces and overcomes her visual issues with aplomb, making jokes at times, putting others at ease.  She misses her "B Cave" right now, but hopefully we will be able to move back in to our home in another few days.  I am glad she is in this with me; her spirit and humor are definitely helping me cope with the madness and distraction of the details.  That is a lot to be proud of.

So how could I be more proud or thankful this Mother's Day?  I probably couldn't be.  I have 4 children that fill my heart with love and that love me back.  We have been through quite a lot as a team, and we still keep hanging together.  They fill me with hope for our future, and make me even somewhat ready to hear the title "Grandmother" applied to me someday. 

I am one blessed lady.