Thursday, July 3, 2008

Blessed...

With only fifteen minutes before she had to drive off for work, my teenage daughter wrote these words for me at the bottom of my post. I just had to share, and YES they choked me up.

Us mom's can sometimes feel overlooked, underpaid, run down and run over. I am here to encourage all of you at home with little ones, to hang in there. So many times I have failed as a mother and so many of my prayers have been, "Lord, please let them forget my mistakes."

I am here to encourage you, that no matter what, if your heart is to raise up godly children and do your best to be a godly wife and mother, your children will one day rise up and call you blessed.

That's a promise.


That happened for me today.



Some of you may remember the kitchen contest I posted about a few months ago here. They wanted an uploaded picture of your kitchen and in 500 words or less, to explain why and how a new kitchen reflects you.



Being the "Last Minute Lil" that I am, the deadline was yesterday. With only hours to spare, I submitted my entry.



Only they weren't my words I submitted, they were my daughter Meghan's.



...And now I don't really care if I win or not. In my eyes, her words crowned me winner already.



********************************************************************************



The Reflection of Love
By Meghan

A home is a reflection, a personal snapshot of a life, a family, a person. My mother has spent a great deal of her life as a stay at home mom, giving her all for her family and spending a great deal of her life in the kitchen. She doesn’t have nice knives, or a spotless counter space. The mustard yellow walls and scattered country antiques provide sparse decoration, and numerous cooking utensils and cookbooks are hidden in little nooks and crannies. The sink is broken, the counters are cracked, and the cupboards are outdated. Yet, the woman that I call mom is ever present in the kitchen. It’s not the physical aspects that reflect my mother, it’s the very atmosphere. As a child you don’t care about stained grout or bubbled hardwood floors. You looked for the after school treats your mother made you, or followed your nose to the dinner table when she called. I remember hot cocoa on rainy days, French toast on Sundays and Christmas brunch at that country table. I remember rolling out cookie dough with drinking glasses and spilling lemon bars all over the counter, just to be comforted with a warm hug from my mom. When I think of the kitchen I grew up in, I think of my whole family, all six of us, smiling and laughing around a wonderful meal, something we so often took for granted. And my mother. Rarely ever complaining, she worked hard in that less than perfect kitchen, and created a warm, beautiful childhood, and memories that I will never take for granted. My mother’s kitchen reflects her well worn love and years of hard work. She has spent so much time serving my family and others, opening her home every holiday to friends and family. She has watched her friends receive beautifully remodeled kitchens, and never use them. Yet, she doesn’t complain. She goes home and makes another dinner, trying new recipes and changing old ones to suit her finicky husbands’ taste. My mother loves her family, and that is what makes our old kitchen wonderful in my eyes. But after so many selfless years of trudging through our less than perfect kitchen, I believe she deserves something new, something made entirely for her. I would love to see her proud to show off her kitchen, not just the delectable food she creates. She deserves a working microwave, ovens that work, a dishwasher that doesn’t leak. She has always dreamed of a little kitchen nook with a window seat where she can read, relax. My mother has given so much to me, I wish there was some way I could give back to her. Who can find anything more precious than a beautiful childhood memory? Yet my old kitchen isn’t really the keeper of my memories, my mother is.

Meghan

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Hang in there mom's, your blessings are a comin!




17 comments:

Teresa said...

I'm just speechless.

Meghan is certainly gifted and you are no doubt blessed. Words like that can only come from girl's raised by women doing it God's way. Thanks for sharing this....and keep up the good work!

Chelle' said...

I love her.

And she, like you, has obviously been gifted with words that Bless.

Marie Stork said...

choked up is an understatment. WOW! I see she has been blessed with a Proverbs 31 mother. May you be blessed today and please let us know if you win! Wow that would be awesome. And thanks for encouraging us that have little ones. No one told me being a mother would be one of the hardest jobs to have.

Anonymous said...

WOW! What a heart she has and words to share, the apple sure didn't fall far from the tree did it?? You must be so proud & kitchen/no kitchen, you are a winner!!!
C

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

Now that's what I'm talking about...a story that finds you without you having to give it one thought except the one that shares it with us!

Aren't kids just the deal? (at least sometimes...)

I told someone the other day that perhaps, the greatest joy I have known as a mother is watching my children become the people that God has created them to be. My oldest is home from his first year at college. Talk about a kick in the gut (no one prepares you for that one moment).

And while there are 3 others that follow in his shadow, he's been the leader, and he leads well...

with a heart and passion for Jesus and for others.

Your daughter sounds like a true treasure. Maybe we could introduce them sometime down the road?!

peace~elaine
PS: Let us know how your home brew of sweet tea turns out!

connorcolesmom said...

I think someone got her mommy's writing gene
That is so beautiful I was in tears!
I only pray that my boys will say such nice things about me :)
BTW: I am still sick that you are not going to SA - I could hardly sleep - SIGH!
Love ya
Kim

Tricia said...

Ok, you have made me cry... what a blessing that is, I know you will treasure those words.

Thanks for the encouragement for us moms of little ones, I am going to hug mine now!

Zaankali said...

That is a daughter to be proud of. What a blessing.
Smiles!

Mari said...

How wonderful - she's got me all teary. You are so right - that is better than a kitchen!
She has inherited your way with words!

AlaneM said...

Her children will rise up and call her blessed.

Hope I got that right, don't have time to check :)

What a wonderful girl...and a teen? Wow, that's a testimony right there.

Amy said...

This just made me cry! By the sound of that, your success as a mother far out weighs any mistakes you have made. Your daughter is well beyond her years - so thoughtful and wise.

Thanks so much for your words of wisdom. You are making a difference.

Happy 4th of July!

Amy said...

I forgot to say... I hope you both win!

Sheryl said...

wow, i got a bit choked up. what a blessing! i see you've already won. what could be better than words like from a teenage girl? you've obviously been a fanstastic role model.

i do hope you win the kitchen too!!

Sheryl

Cheri said...

You're right- you did already win!
What beautiful words and they must mean so much more written by your own daughter.
That is so awesome- you have obviously been a wonderful mom to her!

Joyfull said...

Absolutely precious. Beautifully written by your daughter from memories from her heart. Thanks for sharing such an encouraging post!

Melanie said...

Wow! What beautiful words for Meghan!

Megan said...

Okay, now that just made me CRY. Number one, you have no idea how much I needed that encouragement at the beginning of the post. Just lastnight I was talking with my husband about that verse that says that God will never give us a task without equipping us to carry it out, and I was saying how encouraging that was because I feel like I fail him & my kids and that I'm not cut out for this at times. Your encouragement spoke straight to my heart. And second, your daughter is a treasure! A great writer like her mama, and a total sweet heart! That is sooooo precious! Thank you for sharing! {hugs} -meg

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