my dear mother...

This coming Sunday is Mother's Day....I have so many thoughts about my mother, it's truly impossible to really put them all into words. In the last seven months, I have been amazed by my mother's strength, her faith, her courage, her determination, and her love. Our lives have definitely been taken on a roller-coaster ride, and none of us really knows when or where it's going to stop. But her faith is like her seatbelt - it surrounds and secures her no matter the twists and turns. I have certainly seen her in her moments of weakness when her fears of the future and the all-encompassing unknown overwhelm her and have gladly given her my shoulder to cry on as she has done for me and shared my tears with her. Despite it all, my mother has not hesitated to reach out to those that need help, support, or just a loving word. She faces each day with certain sureness that she is meant to.

My mother is possibly the bravest woman I have ever known. I can't even begin to imagine being in her shoes, but if I ever was, I would hope to endure it with the same grace, trust and hope that she has. I am so proud of my mother - so proud to call her mine - and hope she understands without a doubt how much her children love, honor and adore her.

stamp...

If you really care, just show it. Give a hug, send a card, hold a hand, reach out and give that physical touch that filters right down into the soul. I'm a big fan of sending cards, notes, letters... the kind you actually have to put in an envelope, postmark, stick a stamp on and throw in the mailbox. Why? It takes effort, thought, true emotions on paper and a vulnerability to let that other person read between the lines. Who doesn't enjoy getting a letter in the mail? Somehow finding an envelope - and an even more treasured surprise if it's a colored envelope - in the mailbox at the end of the day can immediately put a spring in your step and thrill anticipation right to the tips of your fingers as you dig in. Everyone can admit to knowing the delicious excitement a child feels when they receive a letter they get to keep all to themselves. That excitement stays with us, I think, as we grow up...if we let it. I've heard it said that there is an art to letter-writing. I think it's a passion one has to keep up like any hobby or skill.