International Women's Day

It's International Women's Day today.  And I would give anything to have the most important woman in my life back.  It's also exactly two months since she left us, but the pain is as real and visceral as it was that day.  My mom was not and will never be famous.  She didn't change the world, open new doors, knock down walls.  She was the definition of quiet stability.  She was the embodiment of strength.  In 1991, with three young children and a traveling husband, and living on the mission field, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.  And she prayed, not only for her own healing, but more than that that she would first and foremost bring glory to God, and secondly, that she would be there for her kids.  This incredible woman had devoted herself to her God, her husband, and her children, knowing that her purpose was not to make a name for herself, but to live and breathe Jesus regardless of her circumstances.  She created a warm and safe and godly environment growing up that I know that my siblings and I all try to emulate.  She was an ever respectful and loving wife, the example who my sister and I try to be and my brother looked for (and found!) in a wife.  Her legacy continues on in the homes we live in and in the children we are raising.  Instead of crying, she often chose to laugh, to keep breathing, and I still hear her words when I am in crisis. "You are safe.  You are loved.  Everything is going to be ok."  She was an Omi who would patiently talk through movies with my kids, preparing them for a scary part and reassuring them that the characters would be ok.  She gave rides on her chair and would joke that she came with her own version of toys for the kids.  She gave everything she had joyfully.  She loved Blue Bloods and Tom Selleck and hated Giada's wardrobe on Food Network Star.  She attended every single high school play and sporting event we were in.  She allowed us to have all night parties and would feed our friends breakfast in the morning.  When I got to go to a ball, she waited up until four in the morning and let me gush about the magic of it all, while I'm sure all she wanted to do was go to sleep.  She negotiated with college admissions officers, trying to make it possible for us to afford out dream schools.  She allowed my brother to physically carry her onto the dance floor at my wedding, exuding joy and never shame.  She told us we were the handprints on her heart. 

It's International Women's Day today.  These snapshots could never even begin to describe my mom as a daughter, a wife, a mother, a friend, a mentor.  What I can say is that she was a gift, and I could not be more thankful to be her daughter.