Friday, May 6, 2011

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!



That's a picture of my sweet Mom & Dad years ago at my niece's wedding. Back before Daddy became so sick from kidney failure (he passed away in 2007) and Alzheimer's Disease stole Mom away from us. In honor of Mother's Day, I decided to share a little about my Mom and about what I learned about motherhood when I became a mother.

Mom was born in Oklahoma back in the Depression, the youngest of four girls. Her birth day was actually a sad day for the family because Mom's twin sister was stillborn and my grandmother nearly died from a loss of blood. But Mom survived and so did Grandma, and each would become very special women to their families.

My parents met in college after Daddy served in World War II. They married in 1950. Over the next thirteen years they would have five children, me being the youngest. Growing up, a child has no real understanding of the huge responsibility it is to raise children. From the moment a child is born, a parent--a mother--worries about them. Daily worries. Hourly worries sometimes. In infancy, you worry about their growth, are they eating enough, why are they crying, and on and on. As toddlers, you worry about them hurting themselves as they learn to navigate the world on their own. As school children, you worry about them being picked on and whether or not they will succeed in school. When they reach adolescence, you worry about everything!! Not even when they grow up and start a life of their own are parents suddenly worry-free. No. Children are children, no matter how old they are.

When I became a mother, I finally understood some things about my Mom. I understood the sacrifices she made for us kids. The long hours working as a teacher. The longer hours working as a Mom. Cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, shopping. A Mother's work is truly NEVER done. I understood why she was so tired and why she'd get angry at us kids when we argued and acted up. I understood her heartaches. I understood her pride in all five of us.

Mom wasn't perfect. No mother is. She made mistakes. If she could go back and change things that were said or done, I believe she would. She loved her children unconditionally. She would have given her own life to save us.

Mom wanted God's best for all of her children. She taught us about Jesus Christ. She made certain we grew up in church and heard the Truth. That, to me, is the MOST important gift Mom could have given me! It is a gift I pray I've passed on to her grandsons.

I'm thankful for the Mom God gave me. She doesn't know it's Mother's Day and she doesn't remember that she's a Mom, but I do.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MOM!!

I Love You,
~Shelly (the name Mom always called me!)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Depression started 2 years after Mom was born.

Michelle Shocklee said...

You are correct, dear brother. :)

Anonymous said...

A minor point. I'm sure it was just as depressing to be in Oklahoma in 1927 as it was in 1929 or in 2011 for that matter.

Michelle Shocklee said...

Aww, I like Oklahoma. =) You know your nephew--Austin--will be going up to Southern Nazarene in August!! He's excited. He's trying out for the basketball team at the end of this month.