Happy Mother's Day

This morning, Eric left at 8:15 to practice music with the worship team for church, and Maggie and I headed to breakfast at another missionary woman's home. As we sat around enjoying eggs, danish, coffee, and fruit, she asked those of us in attendance to remember something special our mothers had done for us or taught us over the years. Many special memories were shared around the table. This is what I shared:

When I was 8 years old, my father died. I didn't appreciate then what my mom must have been going through, now left by herself with an 8 yr old and a 6 yr old in a city with many friends but no family. I don't think I truly appreciated it until Maggie was born last year, and I started to realize how hard raising children was, especially if Eric wasn't around to help. She decided to move us to Phoenix from St. Paul to be closer to family (her twin sister). She packed up our entire house and sold it, and made plans to move with no confirmed job. As we sat around the table one of our last nights in Minnesota, she reminded my brother and me that we needed to "bloom where you're planted." God had a plan for moving us to Arizona, and He would be with us wherever we went.

Although I wasn't always excited about blooming anywhere other than where I currently was, I was reminded of that phrase over and over, as we moved to Arizona, and later Indiana and Wisconsin. When I was old enough to choose my own locations (and felt sure I would pick a place and stick with it), I moved to Minnesota, then California, then Michigan, and now Kenya. Each move, that little phrase has popped up in the back of my head. Bloom where you're planted. As Eric and I prepare for a life overseas, one of a certain transient nature, I am reminded that God plants all of us in different places in our lives, but expects us to bloom in each one of them. Indeed, He sends rain and sun wherever we go. Thank you, Mom, for that timely lesson taught to a scared and temperamental little 8 year old.

I am also thinking about Mother's Day last year, when my mom came out to meet her 1 week old granddaughter for the first time. I couldn't have made it through those first weeks without you! We miss you so much today, but look forward to seeing you in less than a month! Love you, Mom.