Mother's Day

Mother's Day.....

When I was growing up Mother's Day and Father's Day were very hard for me.  I was raised by my great aunts, two old sisters, Boot's and Ruby.  When they first took me, as a baby, my great uncle was alive, he was married to the aunt I called "Boot Mama"  Her real name was Bertha but her nickname was Boots.  So she became Boot Mama...only in the south....   He died when I was 3 years old and then their brother my Uncle Mack came to live with us.  I adored him, he passed away when I was 12 years old.  Even tho I was loved and pretty happy as a child, it was odd in my small town not to have a mom and dad.  I didn't know anyone else who lived with anyone other than their parents or whose parent's were divorced.  So those days were just stressful to me.  Not that I didn't love "Boot Mama" as much as any child could love their mom, but it was obvious I was different. 

Then once Mama died, when I was 17 years old, I was sad when Mother's Day rolled around.....then I got married and couldn't have kids, so it was still a sad time to me. 

I told Jon years ago, do NOT be like some pastors and make big deals out of Mother's & Father's Day...it is too stressful and sad for many folks.  I HATED it in some churches I've gone to over the years.

BUT in 1996 I celebrated my first Mother's Day as a Mother with my fat happy little 7 month old boy Steve!  Never dreaming that one day I'd have FIVE kids:)

If you wonder about my "birth" family...it's weird...I don't have hate I just want nothing to do with them.  I only saw my father one time that I could remember, and then about 15 years ago I got a call from a lady who identified herself as my "sister" and she said that our "father" had died....I was a bit impolite to her....she wanted me to sign something so his "family" could get his insurance money or whatever....  I told her to leave me alone, I wanted nothing of his.   My "mother" has been in and out of my life a few times.  She always has an excuse as to why she left me with her aunts.  Now I think she did a GOOD thing as I shudder to think what my life would have been like being raised by her BUT I believe in personal responsibility and she has no clue of that...  She is always the "Jerry Springer victim"  To be honest, I didn't have time for that type of thinking ever and certainly not now.  She wants to be close and have some manufactured emotions...it's so not there and I can't see it ever being there.  I needed a real mother when I was a child who put her children before herself and gave her kids a solid foundation....I didn't get that.  I don't need craziness now in my life.  Before I was a mom, I could listen to her excuses HOWEVER after I became a mom, there was nothing and no one who could ever tear me away from any of my children....

Being a Mom has been the best thing in my life!  I wasn't 100% sure I wanted kids, cause I sure didn't like other people's kids LOL  but I wonder how it would be to have my own kids....I KNEW my kids wouldn't be brats...and they are NOT:) 

This is what I posted on FB this morning.....

Happy Mother's Day, I've been given the best gift of all, the children, God has blessed us with. Being a mom has broken my heart at times but it has given me the greatest joy also. Having our children, with their unique stories, has been the most exciting thing to happen to me. I wouldn't trade one minute of it, if it meant not having one of them. I've learned to appreciate the good times even more, because of the heartaches....I love you Steve Clanton, Shad, Sam, Selah and Sarah and our twins..... I'm glad each of you are my kids:)

My kids & husband  are the most important things in my life.  I adore them and I enjoy them....our family is a place where we can relax and lean on each other.  Adversity has only drawn us all closer together.  We've learned to depend on each other and to be there for each other.  I thank God that He gave me a good husband who came from a stable family.  God also gave me glimpses of families so I could have an idea of how a family really functioned.  We're not perfect parents, but we have a happy home and our children are well behaved and respectful.  They have fun with us, but they also know we are the parents.  I think kids like to have boundaries, it makes them feel safe.  Jon & I have never really disagreed on parenting issues and that has made things really easy for us.  We pretty much had the same ideas. 

Jon and his family

 

Jon, his dad, mom and brother Jim with Molly the family dog

 

BTW I LOVE  my in laws!  I've had the best! 

 

 

 

me and my blessings!

 

 

my five blessings!

 

 

 

Steve and me!

 

cookout in our backyard

 

 

 

Steve built this simple fire pit and it works well

 

 

Steve & Shad cooked out for us today after church.  They grilled hot dogs, baked beans, chips, drinks, and smores:)  It was unexpected and sweet!  It really was neat to see them do it all, Shad was all about starting and maintaing the fire LOL  They've never done anything like that and it was neat to watch them do it all!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last year.....

 

 

Church Dedication 2012  the girls first Sunday in church Mother's Day

 

Me with my 5 kids last Mother's Day

 

the kids swinging outside....happy day....

 

 

Memories....

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Today I became aware of another little girl with vision problems who needs a home.  She is in Foster Care in Texas.

 

http://www.adoptuskids.org/_app/child/view.aspx?id=42640

 

there is a link with info about her.  My heart is pulled towards her and her situation, knowing how our family knows how to work with a child with vision issues but I also know our situation....maybe someone reading might realize that God is leading them towards this sweet girl.  She sounds like our happy Sarah.  She needs a forever mom and dad too!!!

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

DON'T FORGET OUR ORPHAN PROJECT FOR MAY!!!!!

We have $600 raised already this month, with a goal of $1000 to go towards two little girls.  One is listed on Grace Haven Ministries, Patricia.  She will be adopted with another little girl.  You can give directly to GHM or send a check to our church marked Orphan Fund Grace Church 7060 Berry Road, Zephyrhills Fl 33540.  You can make a difference in a life!!!

 

On this Mother's Day, I think of the children in need of a family.....