My Mom

With Mother's Day coming up on Sunday I have been thinking alot lately about my mom.  I am reminded of the woman she is and the woman she has helped me become...and the Lord continues to mold and shape both of us!  I wanted to write a post about my mom so others can know this lady that I know so well.  First of all, let me give you a little bit of history...that is a cool story of God's provision, healing power, faithfulness, and goodness.  My mom and dad tried to have children for 7 years...yes I said 7 years!  My mom was told that it would never happen for her.  Can you imagine?  Can you imagine trying for 7 years?  She even tried 3 fertility drugs that did not work.  After 7 years, the Lord gave my parents Alisha.  Alisha is my sister who was adopted when she was 5 days old.  What a precious gift to my mom and dad.  When Alisha was 10 months old...SURPRISE!!!  My mom was pregnant with me!  Three years later...my brother.  Apparently the doctors were wrong and God had different plans!  :)  After my brother was born my mom suffered from a severe stroke.  She was in a coma and the doctors told my dad that if she lived she would be paralyzed or a vegetable.  Again, the Lord had different plans for her!  She survived!  According to dad, she went through grueling physical therapy.  She even had to relearn the alphabet!  As a result of the stroke my mom has had seizures and in the summer of 2002 she had a major brain surgery that did not prove to be "successful."  Not only has this all occurred in her life, but she was also diagnosed with colon cancer when I was in high school.  This is totally gone today and yet another miracle for her and our family!  All this history to just give you an idea of what my mom has been through.  Through all of her personal medical struggles, she has had so much strength.  Her faith in Jesus is so deep.  I can remember walking in the room to see my mom engulfed in the Word.  She would always remind me of His promises when I needed to hear them.  I am amazed when I think back to those precious times.  

After her brain surgery in 2002, which removed part of left temporal lobe, she has had a lot of difficulty interpreting what people say and giving a response to what they say.  Her communication is very difficult and often times childlike.  This has been a huge struggle in her life and ours.  She is different.  She is a different personality.  She cannot carry on a "typical" mother-daughter conversation.  I cherish memories I have with her before the surgery.  Even though she is different and it's hard to talk with her, she remembers scripture!  She loves Jesus.  She still lives for Him and continues to pray with the words she can muster.  She makes perfect sense to Him!  She still reminds me to pray and reminds me that often times that's all we can do.  She has stuck by a husband who is a recovering alcoholic.  When things were the worst with my dad, she was there, ready to forgive and move on.  She is a story of an overcomer, a story of strength, a story of a godly wife and mom, a story of the Lord's unchanging nature and His faithfulness.  I love my mom.  I look up to her and pray that I can have her faith.  I pray that I can have her "childlike" faith that she expresses even now!  I miss our long talks and I miss getting advice on life from my mom...but her example has been more than enough.  She is my hero and I love her for who she was and who she is now.  Tell your mom this mother's day how much she means to you!