I Don’t Need No Special Day

If God called me to any task in this life, it must be to be a Mom. My entrance into this adventure began in 1953, when I was not quite 20 years old.

I’ve been a mom, a step-mom, a grandma, and most recently a “Grandma Dot”, dubbed such by great-grands. I have been a stay-at-home mom, a working mom, a single mom, a mother-and grandmother-in-law. In 1989 I joined the ranks of 1.5 million seniors raising children they did not give birth to. From that I became a guardian, foster and finally an adoptive (aka ‘real’) mom.

I know I made some mistakes, but I must have done a fairly good job. I have a pillow that says “Greatest Mom in the Entire Universe”. What more can I say?

It’s strange that almost anywhere one applies for a job, experience is required. Yet, becoming a parent was a duty I took on with no experience whatsoever and from then on it was OJT (on the job training).

I learned the rhetorical questions: “Are you trying to drive me crazy?”

The dire predictions: “That balloon is going to pop.”

The astute observations: “You’d lose your head if it wasn’t tied on.”

Still, it’s not learning those things that made me a mother. It’s the wiping tears and shedding tears. It’s the praying and protecting. It’s the caring and the counseling. And, it’s the letting go.

That’s the hardest thing a parent is called on to do. Whether it’s 5-years-old going to kindergarten, an 18-year-old leaving for college or work, or a thirty-something moving off and taking your grandchildren with them — Moms want to hold onto their children, see them, talk to them often. Just to make sure they’re okay.

Years ago, my sister-in-law shared this thought with me:

“You visualize yourself holding your charges in your hands, shielding them from the world, caring for them. Then, you place your hands inside God’s hands. Next, you slowly remove your hands. Now your loved ones are in God’s hands. You have placed them there and they couldn’t be in a safer place.”

I am truly blessed in my role as Mother. It’s fun. My children don’t wait for a special day to let me know I am loved. I feel it every day. Love you guys!