Greetings, sweet readers!
Tis Friday. Five Minute Friday specifically. This is the time that we hook up with Lisa-Jo Baker and write. For five minutes. Just letting the words flow and our hearts go. (Yes, I sorta meant for that to rhyme. It might be one of those days…)
As usual, Lisa has given us a prompt… and today’s is a smidge different– it’s not just a single word, but a phase. A whole bucketful of memories and lessons.
And now, I have a whole five minutes to capture everything my heart would like to say from the last 27 years. (This oughta be good. Oh boy.)
Today’s prompt: “What Mama Did”
AND GO!
****
My Mama did… A LOT. Yeah, she fed us, clothed us, loved us… But that is only the beginning.
It’s impossible to even touch on what my Mama did (and is doing!) for me in my life in my nearly three decades on this earth in a measly five minutes. She did a lot. And still does a lot.
She gave me two younger siblings. A lil sister a year and a half after my birthday– one lil brother TWELVE years later. (SURPRISE!) She taught me what it means to “stand by your man” for nearly 34 years (and still going strong!)
She taught me to cook and the fine art of NOT getting “too creative” with the many spices in the cabinet. Mama introduced me to fried okra and corn bread dressing. She did laundry. Cleaned house. Worked outside the home. Filled the role of a farmer’s wife.
She fixed fence and defrosted baby calves in the bathtub during blizzards. She “went to town” to get farm supplies at a moments notice. Cut alfalfa in the 112 degree KS heat. Stood up for us. Disciplined us. (Yes, we needed it!) She taught me when it was time to suck it up and move on… and taught me that sometimes, you just need a good cry.
My mama did a lot. She forever ingrained in me that a hot bath and chocolate will fix nearly anything. She sewed my prom dress and later our ring bearer pillow. She helped plan my wedding. She has thrown parties. She has encouraged me. She has brought me back to earth when I needed it. She celebrated the day I led my Daddy (her husband) to Christ.
She taught me to forgive. To move forward. To celebrate. To strive. To grieve.
My mama did a lot.
Now, my Mama is teaching me how to be a Mama. I’m four days away from the due date of our first baby. We are a thousand miles apart, but her encouragement and phone conversations keep me going. Now, we talk openly about Jesus and what He is doing in both of our lives. How we can be better wives and Mama’s ourselves with His leading.
I can only hope that in the next three (and more!) decades, our son or daughter will have a fraction of the incredible lessons and experiences that my Mama did for me written on their heart from my relationship with them.
My Mama taught me how to love like Jesus.
Yep. My Mama did a lot.
STOP!
****
Ok. No profound conclusion today… But I am awarding myself excessive pregnant lady bonus points for not sobbing through this entire post. (Seriously. That’s a Jesus miracle in itself.)
So today’s response: What did YOUR Mama do for you? Comment below.
A Daughter in many ways,
SGK
“…we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children.” ~1 Thessalonians 2:7 NIV
