I've been very fortunate in my life to have a wonderful mother and other amazing motherly women to love and look up to. As we celebrate Mother's Day today, I wanted to take the time to thank my Mom and the other motherly figures in my life who serve as excellent role models, sources of inspiration and women who I strive to be more like every day.
My mother-in-law Sharon, aka Nana:
I've known Sharon for over half of my life and I think it would be fair to say she watched me grow from a young teenager to an adult and now a mother. I remember when Jarrett and I first started dating how welcoming and accepting she was of me, her middle son's girlfriend. I have so many fond memories of growing up spending time with Sharon. From the Iowa State Wrestling tournaments, when they took me along so I could help cheer on Jarrett, to the trips to the fabric store to help pick out the next plaid pattern to appear in one of her wonderful quilts. The first time Jarrett traveled abroad, gave Sharon and I the perfect opportunity to bond and connect even more. We spent a lot of time together that summer, even though Jarrett was gone. We bonded over Days of Our Lives and when she agreed to help me make a t-shirt quilt for my high school graduation, I think we both were excited to have an activity to work on together.
She has taught me many things in the 20 plus years of spending time together. From teaching me how to quilt, to sharing her famous seafood pasta recipe and even expert advice on how to raise boys. I love many things about Sharon, and while I don't know if I've ever come out and told her, one of the things I love the most, is all the hard work, love and dedication she had to put in to help the man of my dreams become the partner and father he is today.
Having Nana and Papa live close to us the past couple of months has truly been a great gift. We've been fortunate enough to see them a couple times a week and the connections the kids have with them have grown significantly deeper.
Nana, we love you very much and we thank you for all you've done and continue to do in sharing your love, wisdom and support.
Jarrett's grandma, Great Grandma Doris
Grandma Dorie continues to show us that life is fun at any age, and age is simply a number. Grandma Dorie lives in a small town in NE Iowa and yet she is known for her caring and fun spirit for miles and miles around. In fact, because she is so much fun, there are several people I know who have self-selected to consider her part of their family, also calling her Aunt Dorie or Grandma Dorie. Her positivity and love of life at every age, shows me no matter what happens, there is always something to be happy about and to give thanks for.
Grandma Doris shares of herself with us as she sends cards and mentions how she keeps us in her prayers. The boys immediately connected with her because on our first trip back to Iowa, she showed them her "farm" and on her farm she had many frogs. Michael and Gabriel were in Heaven collecting frogs, putting them in a jar, finding food for them and asking a million questions about where they came from. Grandma Dorie and the boys named one of the large bull frogs they found Freddie and returned him to the wild near Grandma's pond. To this day, the boys still ask about Freddie and look forward to visiting with her at her house on each trip back to Iowa.
We love you Grandma Dorie and look forward to seeing you again, hopefully soon!
Jarrett's Grandma, Great Grandma Hazel:
One of my first memories of Grandma Hazel is from when I was 15 years old and had gone over to Jarrett's house to visit him. When I arrived, I learned his Grandma was staying with them as she had been in an accident in Decorah and was recovering at their house. When I walked up the stairs to their living room, I remember seeing her in the chair resting and while I tried to be quiet, she immediately noticed I was there and focused all her attention on me. While she has been bumped and bruised pretty badly in the accident she wanted no attention on her and instead treated me like I was the most important person to have walked into her life. I quickly learned that was just how Grandma Hazel was.
In every moment I got to spend with her, she always put 110% into wondering how I was, or Jarrett and the kids. One trip back to Iowa, I went by myself for a quick weekend, but wanted to make sure I stopped in to see her. I didn't call ahead but just stopped by hoping to catch up. When I knocked on her door and she opened it, she was surprised to see me, but welcomed me in, of course fed me a wonderful breakfast (she insisted) and we talked for hours. I always loved visiting with her as she could carry on a conversation and make you feel so loved.
Of the many qualities Grandma Hazel taught me, her selflessness and unwavering faith were truly remarkable. Grandma Hazel always made sure others had what they needed or wanted before herself. Whether it was in talking about food for a meal, or making someone feel comfortable in a new place.
And her faith. Grandma Hazel faced many challenges and losses in her life, and no matter what happened, her commitment to the Lord was unwavering. Even toward the end, when she knew her days on Earth were coming to an end, Sharon shared with us, how at peace she was to be going home to her Lord. I pray that when my final days here on Earth are approaching, I embrace them with the same amount of faith and commitment as she did. She was a wonderful lady to her core, was loved as much as she loved us and is deeply missed.
My Grandma, Grandma Virginia:
If there is one woman who I wish my children would have gotten to meet, it would have been my Grandma Virginia. She was the most wonderful and loving Grandmother anyone could have asked for and I know she would have loved Gabriel, Michael and Isabelle with her whole heart.
I was lucky enough to have gotten to spent a lot of time with her growing up. She was and still to this day is the model of a grandmother I hope to be some day. My grandmother was there for me in every step of my life. She watched me as a baby, would greet me after school, making me my favorite foods and went above and beyond to spoil me in her love and devotion my entire life.
My grandma always confessed her love to me and her family openly, showing us through the special things she would make that she knew were our favorites, through her written word and by making sure she found the perfect gifts that she knew we would love.
My grandma was an excellent writer, sharing her daily thoughts and feelings through written word. When I was in college, she would write me frequently sharing news about what she and Grandpa were doing, how the weather was, and what their dog Lucky was into next. I come to love getting the mail because I knew more days than not, she's have dropped me a line, found a Family Circle comic strip she thought I'd like and sent her love saying she was thinking of me. I can honestly say, her letters helped me get through college.
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| Just like this picture, where she wrote in the corner, "with love Grandma Virginia" I never felt love like the love I felt from her. |
And then she learned how to write emails. She's send me an email almost everyday and I knew how long it would take her to write me a couple of lines, and yet she didn't care if it took her an hour, she loved getting emails and sending notes back. When she passed away, I was afraid I'd lose the history we had recorded in those emails, so I printed out every note she sent me. As the paper pulled through the printer, it became clear over the course of our email exchanges, she had written me a book. To this day, I store her emails in our safe. To me they are more precious than the money that could be taking its place.
Of the many many qualities I loved about my grandma, one of the best things about her was her ability to make everyone feel special. My grandma's favorite holiday was Christmas and that was her time when her skills at making one feel special were exceptionally demonstrated. My grandma made Christmas special like no other. She decorated her house beautifully, made a meal that kings would have loved and made sure every one's Christmas was complete with not one or two gifts, but several that obviously were picked out with special loving care. I'm actually not sure how she ever did it, she must have started planning in January for the following December.
The love she showed us through the personal touches she provided, made me grow to love Christmas, not because she showed us with gifts, but because she showered us with her love. I think in fact it is one of the reasons why Christmas is so special to me and why I want to share the love of the holiday with my children.
I've talked about this memory before but on our last Christmas we had together, my grandmother gave me a baby doll and said, "I thought you'd like this as I hope one day soon you will have a baby to share it with." Her words spoke right to my heart and while the journey to become a mother was challenging for me, I know she would be so happy for me in getting to be a mother to Gabriel, Michael, Isabelle and now the baby growing inside of me.
I miss my grandma Virginia every single day and there are so many times I want to call her up and talk with her as we did so many days in the past. My grandma taught me to love in ways, I never knew one could love, and I will always be so grateful for the times we shared together.
My Grandma, Grandma Luella
While I never met my Grandma Luella, I can only imagine how amazing of a mother she was. She gave birth to 16 children, 11 girls and 4 boys. That feat alone, should put her in the book of super moms- NO JOKE! Sadly my grandma Luella lost her life at a young age, leaving her husband and children behind. And while she was only in their lives for a short amount of time, the impact and legacy she left is one for the story books. I have heard countless stories about her baking abilities. The stories of how she'd spend an entire day baking breads, cinnamon rolls, and apple kuchen for her large family and after spending all that time, her family would devour her creations in less than a few days.
My mom tells stories about how her mom was a soft and squishy woman who loved to cuddle, play with and wrap her arms around her kids. My mom didn't get to spend many years with her mom, but the impact she made on her was life-lasting. My mother learned her hard work ethic from her mom, as well as the trait to always put others in front of her own needs. I wonder what it would have been like to meet my grandma Luella, but sometimes I think I see glimpses of what she must have been like... in my mother's eyes.
My Mom, Grandma Darlene
My mom taught me from an early age the value of hard work. While some people just talk the talk and don't walk the walk, my mother does both. The hours my mom puts in on projects to help her and my dad's businesses thrive is awe-inspiring. And not only is it the important lesson of hard work but also the lesson that commitment and dedication does not go unrewarded.
As someone who does career advising for my job, I've often thought about the many job titles my mom could put on her resume. I fear the titles are endless, not because she changes jobs regularly, but because she manages multiple jobs like a professional juggler manages tossing balls in the air. From Professional Mom of Four, to House Manager at her dream of owning and building a bed-n-breakfast, to CFO for my parents warehousing and trucking business, to master painter/remodel expert with their rental company business, to church secretary and the list could go on and on. Seriously I get tired just trying to think of the many jobs she holds.
And that's not to mention what I think to be her favorite job these days... Grandma. The connection my mom has instantly with children, especially with her grandchildren is what I can only describe as magic. You know those people who are just able to connect with young people, who they instantly trust and love within seconds of meeting? My mom is one of those people.
Gabriel, Michael and Isabelle LOVE my mom and consider her one of their favorite people. No matter what the age, she is able to connect with the kids, giving them attention in a way that I think makes them feel important and cared for. Isabelle often grabs my phone, pretends to start texting and says, "I send Grandma a message. I love Grandma!"-as if she has to clarify each time why she's pretend texting on my phone.
And the boys think Grandma is the best ever. They love going to Iowa to stay at Grandma's house not only because Grandma has a lot of "toys" the boys can play with but because Grandma makes yummy food. From her cinnamon rolls, to her tasty roasts, turkey and desserts (yet another talent she got from her mom), my boys, who love to eat, have never been unsatisfied with the tasty food Grandma makes for them. Not to mention, grandma is fun! She's the master at fun games like, "Rotten Egg" and takes the time to play. Last Christmas when we went back to Iowa, it was the boys and Grandma first outside to start playing in the snow.
I love millions of things about my mom. As a mother now, I stand in awe at how she did it all. I struggle most days to feel like I'm doing a decent job raising the three wonderful kids I have, and then I think back to my childhood and wonder, "How did my mom make it all look so easy?"
My mom is a master at doing it all, while still making sure she was the present mom, there to support us individually, standing in the bleachers at a freezing cold track meet cheering me on, or pushing me to challenge myself and take on the next goal. I stand in awe with just how she did it and continues to do it.
As I look at our family picture below, I can't help but realize that our wonderful family wouldn't be as blessed as we are today if it wasn't for my mom. The one who always sacrificed for herself, to give and support the rest of us. The one who never stopped to relax, but kept pushing because she knew it would only mean better things for us.
It is my goal that one day my kids look back and are thankful for the mom they had. For if they feel that way, I will then know I was successful in my role as "mom" because I had the worlds best role model for me. I love you Mom. Thank you for ALL you do for us. While we will never be able to repay you for all the sacrifices you've given up, I hope you know we recognize them, are oh so thankful. Mom- We love you more than you'll ever know. Happy Mother's Day!
To all the Mother's out there, may your day be filled with love, celebration for all you do, and that you know how much you are cherished.
Until next time,
Angie
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