So… this isn’t a political post by any means… I just like to give credit where credit is due. The only statement (that I can recall) with which I agreed with Hillary Clinton was that it takes a village to raise a child. That has always stuck with me… because it was so true in my own life.

Today is a hard day for many. There are those who have lost their mother; those who long to be a mother; those who were abandoned by their mother; and those mothers who have lost children. I know there are others for whom this day is hard as well. In all honesty, I have a hard time on Mothers’ Day each year. As I mentioned above, it took a lot of strong ladies to get me to where I am today, and some of them are far away from me physically, and some are waiting for me in Glory already. I know I am a mama myself, but somehow Mothers’ Day seems more about honoring all of them than a day about me.

I have my own mama, Deborah McLellan. When I was a little girl, I believed her to be the most beautiful and best smelling lady in the world. I wanted so much to be tall and thin and fair and blonde like she was. I wanted to play piano, and twirl baton, and dance as well as she had growing up. I admired her for the fearlessness she always displayed in her job as a parole officer, and for her cooking, and her sound advice. She is in Oklahoma these days, and I haven’t seen her in many years, but I surely hope she is having a great day and that she knows that I love her.

Also, I had my great-grandmother, Anita Henderson (or “Mother” as we called her since she said she wasn’t old enough to be a grandmother.) My earliest memories are of her reading to me and telling me stories at bedtime. She always made sure that I had the nicest clothes, the best shoes, and that I was in dancing, piano, band, and any other organized activity that would make me a more rounded person. She and I fussed with each other, and sometimes I won and sometimes she did. She was very hard-headed… um, I mean determined… and she said of me that “it takes the patience of Job” to deal with me. Genetics maybe? When she got too decrepit to live alone, she BEGRUDGINGLY moved in with me. So, my oldest kids got to experience her in all her glory too.

Then there is my Gram-maw, Ann McLellan, my mama’s mama. She and I talk on the phone a good bit, but not nearly enough. She is in Florida these days, and it seems like forever since I saw her. I have so many memories that I treasure with her. As a toddler, I remember swinging on her porch swing and singing so many songs… Ole Dan Tucker… Pickin’ up PawPaws… and so many others. She and Granddaddy took us camping and on many vacations. She, Granddaddy, my brother, and I had our own four-part harmony. We sang every song on “The Highwaymen” cassette until we probably all could have sung the songs backwards. We sang the Statler Brothers… and so many others. She and I leaned hard on each other when we lost my little brother, and sometimes we still lean hard on each other when things don’t go quite like we expected. I love her and I won’t ever forget that she loves me too (cause I’ve had to promise her that I wouldn’t forget.)

Mae Belle Carithers Daves was my daddy’s mama. Oh, how she loved me! I’m pretty sure she thought I was perfect…. If she didn’t, you never would have known it. She was my number one fan. Whether it was a ballgame, recital, or Vacation Bible School program, I knew that if I looked out into the crowd and didn’t see anyone else… she would be there. It didn’t matter how far, how tired she was, or how seemingly insignificant the event… she wasn’t going to miss it. She worried about my eternal soul a lot. It was she who made sure that I knew Jesus. She was with me in her pastor’s office when I accepted Him as my Lord and Savior at the age of 12. I know sometimes that I am still riding on her many prayers for me. When she died, I thought It would kill me… but because of her faith being handed down to me… I know that I’ll see her and all the others again in that place where we will never part again.

So those are some of the ladies who shaped the early me… but I have to give lots of thanks to Brandon’s sweet Mama, Bonita Jenkins Smith, as well. From the moment she met me, I felt like I was her daughter. She stands ready and willing to help us at all times. From running errands to coming to ball games… to housing Hunter when we had Covid. She doesn’t shy away from hard work. I tell people that she is the hardest working lady I know! You almost never go into her house and find her sitting around doing nothing. The most important thing she did for me, though, was raise her son to be the best husband for me and daddy to my kids that he could possibly be. She and Marty did a mighty fine job on raising their kids, and I could never thank them enough if I tried.

Then there are other ladies… my sister-in-love, Amber… some who go to church with me both now and in the past… some are my aunts… some are Brandon’s aunts that I have adopted… many of my friends… school teachers… Sunday school teachers… neighbors… family friends… so very many strong ladies who have come along side me and helped me become who I am today (some probably don’t even know how much.) There are so many names that come to mind, but I am not going to start naming them because I don’t want to miss anyone. I thank each one of them for the impact they have made (and are making) in my life.

As to my own kids and their wives… I thank them for loving me so well. I have tried to be a good mama, but I know I have often fallen way short of that goal. I hope they know that I tried to do the best I could, and that they will give me the grace to forgive my many faults in that regard. I couldn’t have done the good things without the examples that were set before me by all the ladies in my life, and I couldn’t have done it without the support of Brandon, who is my best friend and my rock.

More than anything, though, I hope each of them can see Jesus in me… at least a little. I’m not perfect by any stretch of the word… but thanks to Him, I am forgiven. He pursued me, and put all the people I have spoken about (and more!) in my path to point me to Him. He catches me when I fall, and He loves me despite me. He protects my family, and He has called each of them to Himself. I have no greater joy than to know that each of them are Christians, and that each of them walk worthily of His calling. I thank Him for the Godly husband and daddy He sent to us and for all the blessings that He pours out on us each day. I truly believe that we will see Him come back in our lifetime, so if you don’t know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, please please contact me so that I can pray with you and for you. There is nothing more important than you getting that right. Of all the days that we celebrate here on earth, there will be a day when each of us stand before the Lord and give account. That is the most important day there is.

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. Proverbs 31:28

As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you. Isaiah 66:13

Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. Many women have done excellently but you surpass them all. Proverbs 31:28-29

Only be careful and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Deuteronomy 4:9

You should be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. 1 Peter 3:4

And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. Luke 2:51