You see, in honor of Mother's Day, I have decided to dedicate my post to two amazing women. One that God blessed me by allowing me to be her daughter, and the other is one that God placed in my life to prove that not all family is blood related and sometimes you need two moms for all the crazy things you do.
So first: My mom!
Sharon Neukam, the greatest, most amazing women I know. My mom, my best friend, my people watcher, my shoulder to cry on, my laundry mat when I forget, my supporter, my cheerleader......okay I could go on forever but there is one more that I need to mention, MY road map. That's right my mother is a road map. A road map to God that I would be lost without.
What do I mean?
My mother has become a women that I can talk through my ideas and questions. Sometimes she might not agree with them but she helps me learn from what is going on in my head. We can have many discussions on what is means to be a Christian, what the bible really means, what God has planned for us.....and with each of these discussions we not only grow stronger together but I would like to believe we both grow stronger with Christ. She taught me that music is a doorway to the soul and making a joyful noise can be an amazing time to meditate with God.Side note: My mom took me to my first concert to see Rebecca St. James and LaRue, and I still listen to them all the time. Wanna know who is playing in the Austin Area, me and my mom could most likely tell you and ask if you want company. We have had some amazing times at Christian Concerts and I wouldn't trade those memories for anything in this world.
So who is number 2?
My Co-Mama Karen! A woman that supports me to no end, that treats me like her own, loves me like her own, the one that I can talk medical stuff too when no one else will listen. A women that I look up too with her mission work, a women that I haven't said this too yet; but, I strive to be a light in other nations like she is. Whether that be Honduras or the Dominican Republic or wherever God sends me, I hope to help others that can't help themselves. She might not be blood related but I know I can go to her whenever I need. She has become a part of our family that I know will never leave.
So all this talk about my mom's got me thinking. If you look back in my posts I talk a lot about love; the love of Christ, the love waiting out there for my husband, the love of a Father.....but what about the love of a mother. I truly believe that the love of a mother is never failing and one of the strongest forms of love that exists.
For example read this story:
There is a tribe in Africa called the Himba tribe, where the birth date of a child is counted not from when they were born, nor from when they are conceived but from the day that the child was a thought in its mother’s mind. And when a woman decides that she will have a child, she goes off and sits under a tree, by herself, and she listens until she can hear the song of the child that wants to come. And after she’s heard the song of this child, she comes back to the man who will be the child’s father, and teaches it to him. And then, when they make love to physically conceive the child, some of that time they sing the song of the child, as a way to invite it.
And then, when the mother is pregnant, the mother teaches that child’s song to the midwives and the old women of the village, so that when the child is born, the old women and the people around her sing the child’s song to welcome it. And then, as the child grows up, the other villagers are taught the child’s song. If the child falls, or hurts its knee, someone picks it up and sings its song to it. Or perhaps the child does something wonderful, or goes through the rites of puberty, then as a way of honoring this person, the people of the village sing his or her song.
In the African tribe there is one other occasion upon which the villagers sing to the child. If at any time during his or her life, the person commits a crime or aberrant social act, the individual is called to the center of the village and the people in the community form a circle around them. Then they sing their song to them.
The tribe recognizes that the correction for antisocial behavior is not punishment; it is love and the remembrance of identity. When you recognize your own song, you have no desire or need to do anything that would hurt another.
And it goes this way through their life. In marriage, the songs are sung, together. And finally, when this child is lying in bed, ready to die, all the villagers know his or her song, and they sing—for the last time—the song to that person.
How amazing is that, think about the amount of love and dedication that mother has. That they go through all of that for their child, and is happens long before the child is even conceived. That story got me thinking.....me and my mom have our song, a song that every time I hear it I calm down, I relax, I smile, and remember my mom and all she has done for me. That song is the reason I have a Winnie the Pooh tattoo on my ankle. And surprise! Here is it:
Come on it's my blog you knew there would be a song!
But I think that a mother's love goes further then that. A Mother is a women that will support you and love you even when you know you are driving her crazy. I know my mom was so sick and tired of the many tearful calls in nursing school. A Mother welcomes you home with loving arms but will also slowly push you out of the nest when she knows you are ready to fly. A mother puts up with your crazy ideas and then says "You must get that from your dad"
A mother doesn't have to be blood related. A women that loves you like her own will help with all of the above......I know my Co-Mama does. She supports me and is the voice of reason for me just as much as my Mom is. They were both there with smiles on their faces when I graduated nursing school. They were both there and listened to me when I didn't know is taking a job for the summer was the right move for me or not. They both are people I strive to be, active in church, loving towards others, a light that could guide nations if needed. I know God but both of these women in my life to be a shining example for me, and to give me a goal for what I want to be when God gives me the wonderful gift of being a mom.
As I write this I can't help but think of one more song that is a perfect song for Mothers day. A song that is from the mother's eyes but is a wonderful example of what all mother's want for their children.
God has given us mother's to help us and guide us but to also let go of us. To let us be our own people. They are our road maps in life, but sometimes even we end up not needing the map anymore because we have looked at it so many times we know it like the back of our hand.
So I challenge you today. Go love a mother. Hug her tightly and tell her how much you love her. Make every day a day for your mom. Strive to be the person she knows you can be. Love like a mother can, because you never know who will be watching. And finally pray.
Dear Heavenly Father-
Thank you for the gift that is Moms. Thank you for their guidance and protection in this world. Thank you for giving them the gifts to help us in our everyday lives. Be with all the mothers in the world, let them feel your embrace. Let them know that even in times of struggle or loss or darkness, that you are there. Let their lights shine bright in the night so that their children will always know where they are. Let there love be embracing. Give them the gift to know that they impact the lives of all, blood related and not. And that they are loved and cherished.
In Your Name we pray
Amen.
And finally. Thank you Mom and Co-Mama. If I could be half of who you two are I feel like I have done my job. Thank you for all you do and continue to do in my life and I hope to always make you proud.
Love you and God Bless
