Words of Love

The tradition in our family is to create our Mother's Day cards. I can't remember how long I have been doing this for my Mom. She has been the recipient of some clever cards over the years. I have written everything from the ABC's of motherhood,  motherhood top 10, to Mother's Day cheers and chants. My stick figure people have also been a favorite.

Now, I get to enjoy the pleasure of receiving these special gifts from my children.

Thank you, Kayleigh Bug, for still calling me Mommy. The greatest compliment I could ever receive is that I am an excellent dessert chef. You are my favorite person to party with.

And thank you for always eating dessert with me!

When I was doing the laundry a few days ago, I noticed a folded piece of paper in the pocket of Everett's shorts. I opened it up and noticed some writing on it.  

I saw three words: Mother's Day Poem.

I quickly put that paper away, so I could not see the rest.

As I read Everett's thoughtful words to me this morning, I started crying. This is such a sweet and thought provoking poem from an 11 year boy. I did not know that Everett was a poet.

Today at church, the children made Mother's Day cards. The children pasted a flower on a piece of card stock and each petal had a different question to answer about their Moms. One of the sentences that he had to complete was "I love it when you..."

Everett's answer was classic.

Yell at the umpires!

Thanks to Kayleigh Bug, I even received a card from Cozette.
Cozette has been saying Happy Mother's Day to me for the last two days.

This year I decided to write my Mom a letter in the format of a poem. Sometimes, when I call her, I will greet her as Penny, and sometimes I call her Golda, her given name.

This is what transpired this year:

Dear Golda,

I think it's time I told ya,

Just how much I love ya!

You are an artist elite painting with hues of red and golda,

Your art is truly a sight to beholda.

When I was little, you kissed my scrapes, cuts, and wounds,

It meant so much to hear your kind voice say,

"Come and let me hold ya!"

When those teenage years arrived,

your advice rang true in my ears,

"Be good, be kind, be true, is what I have always told ya!"

Now, I am a mother, and I am getting quite olda,

Thank you for helping when there are base boards that need dusting,

and laundry to be folda.

Now Golda, your life is one of service to your children,

it must have been foretolda,

May you be the recipient of many blessings,

Even a hundredfolda!

I wish I had on film my Mom reading this nonsense out loud. It was a really funny.  

Happy Mother's Day to my dear mother-in-law. Shirley has been a true friend to me since my very first date with Brad. The very thought of her brings happiness to my heart.

Happy Mother's Day.

The Bogeyman

It has been one week since I had eye surgery. My recovery has been delightfully easy. No bruising. No swelling. No visible scarring. In fact, at a first glance, you would never know I recently had eye surgery.

This is a blessing I had not expected.

In the past, I have experienced the extreme opposite.

Last Monday, I was filled with fear and dread. I was so afraid even though I have been through this eight times. It has been seven years since my last surgery, and the unknown of each surgery can be daunting.

We decided as a family that Brad should not take off time from our business to drive me to the hospital. It's a blessing having parents live closely, so we can make convenient decisions like this. Mommom took precious care of Cozette. The night before surgery Cozette repeated over and over that she was going to Mommom's the next day to eat birthday cake.  I am not sure where she came up with this.

Papa was my designated driver and caregiver at the hospital. I wish everyone could experience the pleasure of his company. When we arrived at Emory, I filled out the necessary paper work and the receptionist handed my Dad a pager and gave us instructions.

"The first time it vibrates, she averted her eyes towards me, you are to report to the last door on the left.  The second time, means your daughter will be ready for you to come back to visit before surgery, and the third time it vibrates means that she is in recovery and ready to see you."

Dad and I took our seats in the waiting area. We talked about everything. He was in the middle of  telling me that he was going to try and visit my Mom's cousin who was also at Emory when the pager went off.

As I got up to leave, I looked to my Dad for comfort.

"Everything is going to be just fine," he assured me as he rubbed my back.

I was shaking on the inside.

After they prepped me for surgery, it was a relief to see him again. We spoke to the anesthesiologist, and to Dr. Beck. The nurse kept coming in to administer eye drops. Dad was calmly talking to me the entire time. He finally looked at his watch to inform me that there was only about 15 minutes before surgery. This unnerved me so much, that I could no longer hold back my tears.

Dad came to my bedside and patted my arm as I started expressing all of my fears and concerns.  He quietly listened as I cried and rambled. I am not sure why I was so upset. Brad had given me a blessing of healing and comfort. I knew that I was being watched over yet, I was still afraid.

I have reflected on Dad's words of comfort all week.

""  Jeannie, you have angels with you. They are watching over you. I know this to be true. Have faith. Do not fear. What you are feeling is normal and even expected, but do not fear. What you are going through right now is no different than being afraid of the bogeyman in the dark. It is when you turn the lights on you discover there's nothing there to fear. There's nothing to be afraid of. "  

The bogeyman.

I laid in that hospital bed and the thought of the bogeyman struck me funny. I did not laugh though. A certain calmness and peace came over me. I looked up at Dad and told him that his words were exactly what I needed to hear.

I was no longer afraid.

It was a good thing too because within minutes they came to get me.

Not the bogeyman.

The nurses.

It was time for surgery.


I sincerely hope that Brad and I will be able to comfort and bless the lives of our children in their adulthood, as our parents continue to bless ours.