Mom, Daughter, Granddaughter

Kay and Joy

Joy Kelly and Kristy Lamper are our writers today.








My Mom, Kay Ham, is a BEAUTIFUL blessing!  I am so thankful God made her my Mom.  Not only is she a great Mom but a wonderful Grandma to my girls and an amazing GeeGee to her great grandkids!!!  She is still ALWAYS willing to help out even being 81 years old.  Truly she is one of my best friends.  She's beautiful inside and out!!  I can call her anytime of day.  She listens with her heart and is always there when I need her.  Whether on a mission to help my brother or just girls out having fun, she makes me laugh.  She has made my life richer because she is in it.  She is a wonderful inspiration to me.  And I hope when I get to her age the remembrance of her beautiful legacy will live on.  Happy Mother's Day MOM!!!  Love, Joy 

Katie, Joy, Kristy and Roger:)

" On this Mother's Day, I want YOU to know how much it means to not only be able to call YOU my Mom... but to also call YOU my best friend.  I love sharing life with YOU. Our everyday talks, our laughter, our struggles, our victories... all made more special because of YOU.  God gave me an incredible gift of relationship with YOU and the best part is....it just keeps getting better!!  I love YOU MOM... Happy Mother's Day to YOU!!!" ~ Kristy

Part Of My Heart

Today's post is for Consuelo and Luz Prada by their dear niece, Adriana.

I am 100% convinced that you don't need to have children (biologically or adopted) to be a mom and my two aunts are living proof of that.  Even though they have never had any children of their own I consider them to be amazing mother figures my life.  They epitomize Galatians 5:22-23 because their love and dedication show me what it means to be a woman of faith and be filled with the Spirit! They have been through many difficult situations and I just admire how resilient they are and how in spite of what they have been through they continue to strengthen their relationship with Christ because they live their lives knowing that they serve a God of purpose. 

Adriana and Aunt Luz (Tia Nikia)

Back in October 2004 when I got pregnant with my first born everyone thought that my life was over; and more importantly that I was never going to finish school.  Even though my family was devastated they continued supporting me; my aunts would always be willing to watch my girls so I could study, they even helped me pay for books when I didn't have money for them. Fast-forward 8 years and I stand with them at my College Graduation.  I can honestly say I have no idea where I would be if it wasn't for their amazing influence in my life so I have some special words for them:

To my Aunt Luz (Tia Nikia) I love you so much, more that I could ever express in words! YOU are an incredible woman of faith because you allow the negative things that happen in your life to not tear you away from God but to bring you closer to Him. I am so thankful for you and everything you do for me! Samantha and Leah love you so much and I feel so honored and blessed that my daughters get to have to opportunity to be influenced by you!

Aunt Consuelo (Tia Coti) and Adriana

To my Aunt Consuelo (Tia Coti) I love you with all of my life! I have never met someone who loves God and loves people as much as you do. I can't imagine my life without you because you are part of my heart! From the moment we meet (almost 28 years ago) we have had such a special bond that goes beyond aunt and niece but transcends into friendship. We laugh together, we cry together, we fight together but most importantly we love the Lord together and I am so grateful for your spiritual influence!  

So to both of my beautiful aunts THANK YOU and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

A Remarkable Woman

Today's post is written by Kristina Willis Lama, Zach Willis and Julianna Willis.  

Maria and Kristina

From Kristina........

"Mom, thank you so much for being here for me during my pregnancy. I can't wait until Madison is here so she can see what an awesome grandma she has! I love you and happy Mother’s Day

Zach and Maria

From Zach......

My mom. Wow, where do I even begin? Haha, my mom is, in my mind, the ideal mother. In no way could I change anything about her to make her a better mom than what she's been for my sisters and I throughout my childhood and even still today. One of her most noticeable traits as a mom has been her dedication to mine and my sisters' activities, academics, and our lives in general over the years. She has always been there at almost every sporting event of mine, always pushed me to achieve academic excellence, and instilled in me the morals that every boy should acquire to become a mature man as well as a gentlemen. All of the good qualities that one may attribute to me I do not accredit to my own doing, but to her and the life lessons she has given me. Among all of that, the greatest teachings she has given my sisters and I have been on the importance of a God-centered life and she has lived a perfect example of that while raising us. 

 From Julianna......

Julianna and Maria

One of the reasons that I know that I am incredibly, constantly, incomparably loved by our Lord is His gift of making Maria Willis my mother. 

She has always been there for me. Not only at my countless sports games or play practices, but even during my struggles, trials, and mistakes. She doesn't think twice when she stays up until the early hours of the morning to catch up with me when I've had a busy day or just talk through things with me. And she has taught me to always look to the Lord, look in His word, and remember the amazing promises that He has made. 

She makes me feel dearly loved and missed when I am not there to see her, and she makes me feel treasured and prized when she makes the long drive to visit me. 

She is the example of a godly woman. She has shown me what giving with a joyful heart looks life; she has shown me what a Proverbs 31 woman looks like; and she has shown me that our lives can do amazing things for the glory of the Lord, if we give Him that authority in our lives.

She is a remarkable woman and words cannot express my gratitude for having her as my mother. 

Beautiful Inside and Out

Kathleen Corder writes about her mother, Vicki.

The past year has been one big roller coaster for our family. My mom lost two of the people she loves most in the world. I remember back in September right before things started going downhill that I knew my mom always had it all under control. I was amazed at the way she took such good care of my grandma and my dad! I've always had such a comfort knowing that I was learning some pretty important life lessons from such an amazing woman who I would one day grow up to be like. I always want to find something to do for my mom to let her know she's always loved and appreciated, but I always find the gifts keep pouring out of her through her love and care for not only my siblings and me, but for everyone around her. 

People always knew my dad as such a giving and caring man and everyone loved him very much. But even as he is gone now I still see all of those traits in my mom. She may not see it in herself but her beauty shows not only on the outside, but on the inside in every way. The thing I love most about my mom is her unending love for God. Through every struggle she seems to never give up on Him and I admire that more than anything. This Mother's Day I want to honor my mom. Her strength is incredible and I hope one day I can learn from her in everything she does. 

She Will Drop Anything For Me

It took me a while to sit down and write this ... I mean, when Jeanne Whitman is your mom where exactly do you start?  I could say that my mom is selfless, but that would be a drastic understatement.  I could say that my mom has a servants heart, but that doesn't even scratch the surface!  I could tell you that my mom will do ANYTHING for ANYONE at ANY TIME, and you couldn't possibly understand how true that statement really is.  She quite literally never has her own interests in mind, and never asks for or expects anything in return for what she does.  That's just my mom :-)

I can remember the week I got married and was getting ready to move out of the house.  I suddenly got this feeling in my gut and thought ... what am I going to do now??  Who is going to take care of me when I'm sick?  Okay, if I wake up with the flu Joe is supposed to know what to do?  She was the kind of mom growing up that if you woke up with a tummy bug in the middle of the night, it was like she was already waiting up for you.  Bowl and washcloth in hand, ready to take care of you like only a mom could :-)  She would drop everything to bring your forgotten homework to you at school.  She might even let you stay at home "sick" every once in a while because you forgot to study for that big test ;-)  She was as involved as a mom very well could be, and always believed the best in all four of us (even when we didn't deserve it).   I really could go on and on ... but I have to send this!!

Mom, I love you SO VERY MUCH and I am so thankful that (according to my siblings) you chose to adopt me from that trash can in Africa ;-)  You're the best mom a girl could ask for ... Thank you mom - I love you!!

Missy

Deciding what to write in this post about my mom has been somewhat challenging.  There are too many things that I love about her to write in one blog J. 

My mom is Jeanne Whitman, who many of you know.  And, as many of you also know, she’s pretty darn awesome.  I’ve had the great joy of having her as my mom and wouldn’t trade her for the world.  I know God gave her to me for a special reason, the same reasons he made me a mom of two precious girls.  She taught me many things growing up – one of my earliest recollections was the difference between “screaming” and “SCREAMING!!!” (lol, I know she’ll laugh when she sees that!) I have already used that one on mine when accused of screaming J.

I was privileged to grow up in a very loving, Christian home – with parents who love God and love each other, and love their family.  When asked what I am most thankful for in my life, that is my response – I can’t imagine growing up and not knowing that Jesus died on the cross for ME, what a privilege.

My mom is one of the most amazing women that I know – and not just because she’s my mom.  I talk to her every day and sometimes more than once.  She knows everything about me (sometimes too much…) I can tell her anything and not be judged – although I will still get a “motherly” talk out of it (which I wouldn’t trade).  I know that I sometimes take for granted that she is here and I can talk to her anytime I want and see her anytime I want.  I know friends that rarely get to see their mom’s and I find it a privilege to have her so close.  She’s awesome for a multitude of reasons – she’s ALWAYS there for me, no matter what she’s doing or where she is – she’d drop anything she was doing if I needed her.  And, the more amazing thing is that she does it for anyone, not just me.  She was and still is everything a mom should be, love and grace.  And, many times showing grace when I don’t think I deserved it J.

Winner Of Our 2nd Giveaway!!

We had lots of folks commenting on the blog this last week, but the name drawn from the pot is none other than Karen Emkes.  She is the winner of the muffin cookbook and with three little boys, I'm sure it will come in handy.  Congratulations to you, Karen!!  

Our next giveaway is the book by Mary Beth Chapman, Choosing to See.  (Synopsis)Grief is a journey many of us take at one time or another. For the Chapman family their journey began with the accidental death of their 5 year old daughter, Maria Sue, whom they adopted from China. In Choosing to SEE, Mary Beth Chapman shares her struggles with the tragic loss of Maria Sue, her journey to heal, and the unexpected path God has placed her on. Even as difficult as life can be, Mary Beth and the Chapmans choose to see with faith and hope. 

Write your comments on the blog and we'll have a drawing next Monday morning.

God bless on this rainy Monday.

Best Friend

 Hannah Montgomery shares her thoughts on her mother, Terri Perdue.

Many times in my life I have thought about how much I would love to have a “Best Friend.” You know, that friend you’ve known for ages. The one that knows everything about you and has been with you through the ups and downs. The one you know you will never lose touch with because you are so connected and close that the idea of ever not being friends is just heart breaking. I mean, I have had some great friends at different times in my life. But none that I feel I have stayed connected with because of different paths that life took us on.

It seems to be something that always bothers me. I want it so bad! I search for it… I try to change to make it happen… I get upset when I find that this just isn’t the right person to label “Best Friend.” I mean, they are not easy to find! I got married right out of school instead of going to college so I lost touch with those school friends. I married someone a bit older than me so finding the right age group to hang out with is hard. Then I had a baby so that made me even older (though having a child does help you to connect with other young moms J who I hope will become those forever friends!) 

How exhausting to work so hard at finding a “Best Friend!” Then I got to thinking about those qualities in a best friend… Loving, always there for you, fun to hang out with, trustworthy, a shoulder to cry on, common interests, honest, supportive, accepting, etc. Now, who in my life has those qualities… wait… sounds familiar… I know there is someone…

Oh yeah! My MOM!

That’s one of those moments where you feel so stupid and you smack yourself in the head. How silly to have been searching for so long and trying so hard when it was right in front of me all along! I could find no better person to label “Best Friend” then my mother. She fits every requirement and then some! You may say, well she is your mom… she is kind of obligated to love you. Not true! There are people out there who do not have the kind of relationship with their mom that I do. People that may not have a relationship with their mom at all. She didn’t really choose me as a daughter…God did that for her… but she did choose to be my friend.

When I go shopping the first person I want to go with is mom. Hair cut, doctor’s appointment, weekend away, movies… my mom. The first person I call when I don’t feel good or I have a question about something Alexis is doing… my mom. The first person I go to when I am upset and really just need to vent and let out frustration… my mom. The first person to give me wisdom when there is a hard choice to be made… my mom. The one who makes me mad sometimes by letting me make mistakes and learn the hard way… my mom. The one I yell at, disrespect and hurt who quickly accepts the apology and moves on… my mom.

I have always known that my mom and I are close. But I did not truly understand a mother’s love until I had Alexis. To finally understand that my mom loves me that much is insane. I did not know that type of love was possible until I could feel it for my own daughter. It’s refreshing and spectacular and scary and exhausting all at once! I feel blessed to have a mother who has that love for me and who has chosen to be not only an amazing mother but a Best Friend as well. I just hope that I can follow her example when raising Alexis and any other future children there may be.

Mom, I love you so much and I thank you for making the choice to have me… to love me… to take care of me… to show me how to be a wife and a mother… and to be my best friend.

Happy Mother’s Day, Best Friend! J