Over the last few days, and especially today, I have been wracking my brain to think of something I can do to show my mother how much I appreciate her. Being over 7,000 miles away and not the greatest at planning ahead, I did not have a gift to send in time. I began thinking about what possibilities I have and what ways my mother feels loved. I have learned that one of her top love languages is encouraging words, same as me. So, I decided to use the love I have for writing and giving encouraging words, as a gift, which can be sent within seconds (thank the Lord for wifi this month). Also, since I have this platform in which I need to be posting blogs more frequently anyways, I might as well share here.
Thus, this blog is especially dedicated to my mother, Heidi Simmons.
Dear Mommy,
No matter how many times I write you cards, tell you in a video, over the phone, or in person, I don’t think I will ever truly have the words to explain how amazing you are and how much I love and appreciate you. However, I’m not going to let that stop me from trying. As I was thinking about what I could say to express how I think and feel when I think of you, what came to mind was the very first episode of Little House on the Prairie, when Laura reads her essay in school all about her Ma. Here’s a little reminder of that part:
My Mother
My sister, Mary is going to tell you how Pa brought us west and how hard he worked, and I don’t mean to take anything from him by telling you, Ma worked plenty hard herself. She still does!
She cooks and sews and cleans and takes care of the lot of us, Pa included.
I remember once when I was little, coming down with the fever, Ma sat up next to me all night long. I slept some, but she, never. Any time I’d open my eyes, she’d be there smiling, putting a cold cloth to my head.
Now with me and Mary, “sprouting up,” which is what Ma calls it, if there’s the least littlest noise in the night, Ma would come climbing up the ladder into the loft, to make sure we’re alright. I reckon there’s times she gets bone tired, but you’d never know it.
Her smile is the last thing I see before I close my eyes at night, and the first thing I wanna see in the morning. She’s been selling egg to the Mercantile, and saved enough to buy yard goods to make herself a new dress. This morning Mary and me found out she made dresses for the two of us instead. That’s because she loves us. That’s the kind of mother Ma is, and that’s why we love her so much.
That scene is one of my favorites from all the episodes (and as you know, Mom, I’ve seen a lot of them). I think it’s because I understand what Laura is feeling. I understand because I have a mother that is just as remarkable, if not more. I think if we were back in the Little House times, I could write the same essay about you, Mommy!
Just to make sure I am not rambling too long (because I could go on and on for hours, even days), I am going to share 11 things that I have learned and have grown to love about my mother.
1. You inspire me to dream big.
I have learned to have big dreams for my life because of the dreams you pursue in yours. Not only do you dream, but also you put those dreams into action, taking steps to make them happen.
2. You give me the best advice.
Mom, apart from Holy Spirit, you are the one person that I know I can go to with anything and trust that you will give me comfort, love, and the advice I need to hear. I can also say, that of all the people who have taught me to love the Lord and seek Him each day (which have been a lot thanks to how you and dad have brought me up), I have learned the most from your daily example of walking with the Lord.
3. You care for the lot of us, Pa included.
You are the best teacher a daughter could ever ask for, not only through homeschooling growing up, but even now you teach me what you are learning every day I am able to talk to you. When I’ve thought through my life, trying to imagine what it would have been like without you there, I can’t even begin to know where I would be right now. So much of who I am is because of you, Mommy.
4. You are my bestest of best friends.
I know there have been super tough times in your past, and situations you’ve wished you could change. For that reason, I am beyond grateful for the Lord’s hand on your life in those times, and in carrying you through them, for I cannot imagine a life without you.
Okay, now I am really getting emotional. I miss you so much, way more than I let myself think about regularly.
5. The faith you have in the Lord is simply astounding.
It seems every time I talk to you, you are telling me something more that you believe the Lord for and what He is teaching you.
6. Thank you for training me to love trying new foods.
I think back to all the diets and dishes we attempted growing up, the new fruits or veggies you would have us try, and I’m thankful that we did! Who knew that I would need a curious pallet or taste buds open to trying foods from all over the world some day?
7. You are the silliest mother I know.
I think the best part about homeschooling was the time we got to spend together as a family, being real with each other, showing our raw silliness, traveling together on “field trips,” and all that came with it. I think I am my truest self when I feel free to be silly around our family, using our ‘Simmons’ humor and knowing that I will only be loved through it all. I’m only a little sorry for my future husband and children someday who may be a bit embarrassed with your silliness that has become a part of me.
8. You have inspired me to be adventurous.
Mom, you have encouraged me to follow after my dreams of traveling and being a missionary, to not be afraid of the unknown. I am on this journey around the world because you believed in me and encouraged me to pray and seek the Lord on what He was calling me into.
9. You worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.
I have become a worshiper because of your example. You give your whole heart in worship everyday. You not only dance before the Lord, but you spend every morning with Him, soaking in His presence, and listening to anything and everything He has for you.
10. You have taught me to pray without ceasing.
You pray for the ones you love every single day, and I can see the fruit! Even in the day-to-day stuff, you are praying in the Spirit. You have set the bar high and I am not going to stop until I’ve reached or passed it! I also love that you rely on the Lord to wake you up each morning, without ever needing to set your alarm. You have such a gift of faith and it’s so incredibly encouraging!
11. You are my hero.
If I could grow up to be anyone in this world, I would be myself… you have taught me that. However, I would also hope that myself would look and act an awful lot like you! I love the parts about me that I see in you too.
For those of you who are NOT my mother and have read this far, thank you! I have a tidbit of encouragement for you as well:
Whether your mother is here on earth or not, whether you have a mother to look up to or one that has let you down, whether you are close to her or far, consider this… I want to challenge you to think of 11 things that you have learned from your mother. Maybe those things you’ve learned are small, maybe they are huge life lessons that have shaped you. If you grew up without a mother, think of the person that has been most like a mother in your life. The thing is, regardless of where we came from and with whom we grew up, the Lord has a purpose for each of us here. He can use the best and the worst of each mother to shape us into our best selves. As long as we are open to letting Him mold our lives, I have no doubt that each of us can think of at least 11 things that we have learned from that special person we get to call ‘Mom’. Write down those 11 things, with as many or as few words as you wish. Then, if possible, I encourage you to gift your mother with that list. Thank her for what she has taught you, and especially thank the Lord for how He used her to grow you into the person you have become. I can guarantee that the Lord had a reason you were born to the mother with whom you came into this world, the mother that has adopted you, the mother that has discipled you, the mother that may have been taken away from this world too soon.
God is a redeemer and can shape any brokenness into a beautiful, mosaic, glass window through which He will shine His glory! We only need to lay down the broken pieces at His feet.
Mommy, I love you and I hope that you enjoyed reading this gift today. You mean more to me than you may ever know. I can’t wait to see you again in just a few months!
To all the moms out there, thank you! And Happy Mothers day!
