An Ode to my mom

This time of year always makes me a little sad and I find myself breaking out old photo albums and reminiscing of years past. Since Mothers Day is Sunday, I have been thinking a lot about my mom. We were talking in my college and career group last night about how time is fleeting and how you never know how long you have to live on this earth. Depressing, huh? But, we were also talking about Phillipians and how even though Paul was in prison and facing death, he remained joyful and praised God!! Then, Jon (my singles Pastor) told us of a very prestigious surgeon in the area who is a devout man of God, and lives Christ out in his life. He found out a few weeks ago that he contracted Hepatitis C and doesn't know how long he has to live. He has a wife and three small children. Well, the human thing to do would be to cry and scream and plead with God while yelling out things such as "Why does this have to happen to me" and "Why did you do this to me, God?" Well, this doctor was joyful and telling everyone he met about Jesus, days after finding out he had a deadly disease. WOW!!

Well, this is how my mom was. She found out she had cancer in January of 1999. She was a parapro for Special Education at Winder-Barrow High School. She started chemo treatements a few days after her diagnosis. But, you would never know she had cancer based on her attitude. She went to school everyday, loved her job and those kids, and always had a smile on her face. Even when she was weak, pale and sick, she would tell me it's gonna be ok. I was and am still amazed at her character and attitude. She had the attitude of a verse in Romans that is dear to my heart-" Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer." This was her life. She was a living example of Christ.

She taught me to love everyone, regardless of their situation, attitude or how they have treated others.
She taught me to never give up, even when times are hard.
She taught me to never take life for granted, life is fleeting and to make each day count.
She told me I was beautiful, that she loved me and was proud of me.
People tell me that I remind them of her, or that I look like her.
I hope and pray that I can be even half the woman she was.
My mom is my hero and I miss her and love her dearly.

So, on this Mothers Day and every day after, tell the people in your life that you love them and show them how important they are to you. Because, you never realize how much you love someone and how much they mean to you, until they are gone.

I love you mom!!!

Changes

Changes. They are hard and often, unwanted, however, in the end, they stretch you and ultimately make you a better person, right? If that is the case, I should be as stretch as a rubber band or a stretch armstrong doll ( if any one knows what that is). This past week is the week of changes. First of all, Beth and I have a contract on our house. After 4 to 6 months of zoning stuff, we will have sold the property and moved into her parents double-wide across the street. The awesom thing is that Beth's parents-whom I love dearly-will get to build their dream home, which they totally deserve. This means that we will be living with them while they build the new house. Which means, inevitably, that I will probably gain 20 pounds from eating Mama Ellen's (Beths mom) good cooking.

Then, I get a call from my dad saying that my stepmom got a new job in Blairsville, making double what she does now and that he, Rachael and Jacob, my brother, will be moving by the end of the summer. My brother will be starting school at Union County and will still be in band and drama and all that. They were going to wait until he graduated, but, due to a lot of issues with the band program and certain individuals at his school, he said that he was ready to start somewhere new. Now, you may not think this is a big deal. Blairsville is only an hour and a half away, right? Well, if you knew how much I love and depend on my family, you would understand.

It's funny- God has been showing me that I need to put Him before other people. I spend so much time seeking advice and counsel from other people, instead of coming to him with my problems. My daddy was and is like that for me. He always knew the right thing to say and would help me solve all my problems. Since I am out on my own, I have HAD to become more independent and I think that my family moving will further that process along. But, on the other hand, I will miss them terribly. Now all of my immediate family is at least an hour and a half away. Gas prices better go down soon, for my sake!!!

And, last, but not least, Robert and I have been talking more about the M word. We looked at rings and are talking about where we are going to live. I am so excited and scared at the same time. I know he is the one I want to spend the rest of my life with and I know that God sent him to me. Marriage is definitely a BIG change. I will keep you guys posted and will let you know when the 1/3 white gold, princess cut, size 5 is on my finger!!!!