Cherished Memories

Sunday morning I awoke to the house full of bustling activity. Children were actively preparing for my arrival. I was being treated to breakfast and gifts. As I donned my fuzzy pink bathrobe, I was bombarded with excited children. You'd think it was Christmas morning and they were receiving the gifts.

My first gift was from Gabriel. He made me a yellow and green tile that reads, "Happy Mother's Day."

My second gift came wrapped up in a Sesame Street birthday bag. I found a small piece of paper hiding inside. It showed a cake, along with a drawing of me and Zechariah.

My favorite part of my gift from Zech was the dried flowers I received. Once upon a time they were alive, I'm sure. But after sitting under my son's bed for the last week, the leaves dried out. Zech communicated that they were my flowers and I must put them in water quickly before they die. I found the flowers to be some of the most beautiful I had ever seen.

These are the cherished memories of motherhood. The sweetly chosen flowers that came from the outside bush in the backyard.

My third and final gift was from my daughter. She woke up very early to bake some sour cream coffee cake, a specialty of hers. Ariel also spent a lot of time sketching a masterpiece. No longer are they stick figures, and childlike drawings. My daughter is showing the talent of an artist. Each year she surprises me with a new drawing of flowers.



God took the fragrance of a flower...
The majesty of a tree...
The gentleness of morning dew...
The calm of a quiet sea...
The beauty of the twilight hour...
The soul of a starry night...
The laughter of a rippling brook...
The grace of a bird in flight...
Then God fashioned from these things
A creation like no other,
And when his masterpiece was through
He called it simply – Mother.
- Herbert Farnham -



It was my week to be in KidZone at church with the elementary age children. I was given the opportunity to come up with a card for the kids to bestow upon their mothers. Gabriel fashioned this one for me.

My favorite responses from the kids were, "Mom, you are pretty exciting." and another little boy who doesn't quite know how to spell requested I write on his card, "pretty". I was particularly touched by my son's note. It read, "Dear Mom thank you for teaching me about God."

It's the simple, sweet things that make life worth living!
“Finally, brothers and sisters, keep your thoughts on whatever is right or deserves praise: things that are true, honorable, fair, pure, acceptable, or commendable.” -Philippians 4:8-