Alright...so it would be a big mistake if I were not to take the time today to talk about my mom. All of us would like to say that we have the best mom in the world...but if we all looked at it in reality...we all had imperfect moms who just did the best they could to raise us. I know things have not always been perfect in my family...my mom has inspired me to do great things, but I must admit there were even times where I saw what my mom did, and it was example of what not to do. Granted that wasn't that often...only for a short period of my childhood did I ever have that kind of outlook on my mom. But anyways...enough of that...I would like to briefly talk about what makes my mom special, and what makes me so thankful to have her.
My mom was raised in an unsaved home. She was the middle child of 5 kids. She had an abusive father, and a mom who was just trying to survive, and keep her kids alive as well. When she was young...I'm not sure what her age was exactly...she started going to a local church through their bus ministry. Her and most of her siblings would go to church almost every Sunday. Sometimes I think for them it might have just been an excuse to get out of the house. Anyways...again, I'm not so sure what age she was, but she eventually accepted Christ as her Savior, and I'm sure she would say that her life wasn't the same after that. She continued to go to church on up into her teens. Her dream growing up was that she would become a teacher, but her mom wanted her to go into nursing because she said she would never be able to afford it. So my mom went to a local tech school to become an LPN. After she graduated she started working at a nursing home in the area. When she was about 20 years old she met my dad while going to Bible Baptist Church in Saybrook, Ohio. He was working there as music director. On March 28th 1980 my parents were married.
A year later they had my older brother, and soon after that moved to Philadelphia, PA. And in the years to follow while still living in Philly they had my two older sisters. Finally when they moved to Lansdale, PA they had me. While living there we went to Calvary Baptist Church where Mom pursued a diploma in counseling from Calvary Baptist Seminary, and finally got it...not so sure what year it was though. In September of ’95 my dad lost his leg, and we saw why the Lord had seen fit for my mom to become a nurse. Because of her skills she had learned, she was able to care for my dad, and we did not need to have a nurse come to the house everyday while he recovered. God works in mysterious ways doesn’t He? Anyways...don't want this to get boring. We lived in PA for 14 years after I was born, and finally moved back to Ohio so my mom could take care of her mother whose health was failing. We first moved to Geneva, Ohio, because my mom couldn't handle living with her mother down in Rome. If you knew my grandma while she was still alive, you would know what I mean. She was not exactly the nicest lady in the world. My mom was actually eventually able to lead her mother to Christ...we had pretty much been praying for her salvation for as long as I could remember. In spite her salvation she still could be quite a...shall I say...pill. Anyways...as Grandmas health continued to get worse...it became evident that we were going to have to move in with her. So in my sophomore year of high school my family made the move down to Rome. The next two years were some of the hardest years of my life. My grandma...I hate to say this...made life extremely difficult. And yet even through all of it, my mom continued to stay strong. She cared for my grandma in spite of how hard life was there.
In February (2007) my grandma passed away. She was actually put on a breathing tube because she couldn't breathe on her own, but according to her will she didn't want any "heroics." So my mom had to make the decision and tell the doctors to pull the life supports. Mom struggled with this...but she did what her mom wanted. I think if she were honest, she still struggles with it even to this day.
Another moment where my mom continued to amaze me, was when I told her I wanted to join the Navy. You know how you always picture the mom being the one who is upset when their child wants to join the military? Well...that wasn't the case with my mom. I told her I wanted to join the Navy, and she looked me in the eye...reached out and touched my hand and said..."I kind of figured this was coming. If this is what you believe God wants to you do, I'll support you all the way." My dad on the other hand, was the reluctant one...he eventually came around...but that's a story for father's day. Anyways...my mom has always told me that even if I wanted to be a garbage man, as long as it was what God wanted me to do, she would support me all the way.
I thank the Lord so much for my mom, and I would never trade her for another mother in the entire world. She is a Godly woman, and I can't wait to get married and provide her with grandchildren, because she is going to make an awesome Grandma.
Alright, so I must write briefly about what's going with me while I'm in a blogging mode. We're nearing the end of our deployment. We should be back in Japan by the end of this week. I'm pretty excited to be getting back. I should be posting an overview of all the ports we visited when we get back. To all of my followers, I hope you all told your moms how much you love them, and appreciate them.
Comments