Yay, for finding this! I know Mother’s Day is next weekend; but, I have been thinking about this post all week. This is from three years ago and my blog was sort of not so well-organized, the fonts nor layout…the content always so great! 

But, I have grown. The two of you have grown. We have grown together with God’s grace and prayer and still random “Don’t forget I love you’s” and even more “thank you God prayers from me”  because he gave the two of you to me. ❤️

Last week, I sat in a meeting pretending to be compelled by the speaker. If I told you the topic, you’d agree that there was no real reason for me to listen. I promise, I was not rude, just disinterested. You would have been too.

So, I began to think about Mother’s Day.

Last year I did something new at Mother’s Day… I gave my children cards…after all, without them I wouldn’t be a mother on Mother’s Day.  Ridiculous or martyrdom type thinking? I think not…makes sense to me.  You’ll see why.

So, my mind continued to wander, surrounded by people either listening or not and I decided to use my alphabet trick. When I can’t sleep or am bored I start with A and thank God in ABC order with spontaneity and randomness. As I started with A, I realized I was listing things about my children and so, this will be this year’s Mother’s Day card to Heather and Austin…an alphabetical listing of the reasons I love them and the thoughts I think of them throughout my days:

A is for Austin, my grandfather’s name and for Analise, the center of my girl’s name, the reverse of mine….B is for Bama, who taught me to love words by playing “Scramble” and for Bible verses I love…C is for constant, not conditional, my love for you and for cornfields and cotton and country girl things…D is for dirt roads and dancing, because you may not remember; but, when your were babies we danced, soft swaying and spinnin’ round the room…E is for Everything small things and the big things too…F is for Faith, simple and strong…G is for Gator cheerleader and my Gregg Park boy…H is for Heather, Hugs and Hands held…I is for itsy-bitsy spiders and ice cream from a churn… J is for “junkin”, a mommy day treat and for James,  a young man, distinguished and sweet…K is for kisses  on your sweet fingers, foreheads and toes…L is for Lisa, you both call me at times, confident and funny, I don’t really mind…M is for mommy my favorite of all but I’ll answer to mama as long as you call… and for Memory most of all the “don’t forget I love yous ” I like to leave on your phones …N is for naptime, we all love them still…O is for ornery, I sometimes am ill…P is for Prayer, every day and more;  whether you were pitching or pouting or praisin’ the Lord  …Q is for quiet, the house when you’re gone…   R is for rascal, your great-grandaddy a legacy of rambunctiousness and for Right as in “do the Right thing”…S is for Stephanie, whose soul lives in you and for Spot, a chubby dog character who we all knew…T is for tantrums in car seats and stores and for tears shed over life or losing or winning scores…U is for unconditional, my love for you two and for undies unworn and for uniforms with mud… V is for Value; not from me, but from God and for Verses I send, random and true…X is for the Xtra big Xtravagant love I have for you…Y is for YOU, what I pray you will be… despite any challenge of any degree. Don’t lean to the wrong or follow along, be YOU in a crowd, with Jesus beside you, you’re never alone…Z is for Zoo, which for you would mean a ponies and moo-cows and monkeys and pups kinda Zoo… A happy,silly, cool place our Zoo!

So,  Year Two of a Mother’s Day gift tradition TO my children…shamelessly, printed and envelope sealed. “Off-the wall, crazy, unnecessary!”some may say in light of all you do. But, my Gift from my children is my children, for without my Heather Analise and my James Austin, a mother I would not be!

Happy Mother’s Day!