mothers and sons...ponderings on being the mom of all boys.

I have been blessed to have 3 sons.

So what of this mother - son relationship? Well as usual I like to consult 'Mr. Webster' for the real meaning -

Relationship:
- A relation between people (the preferred usage of 'relationship' is for human relations or states of relatedness. "the relationship between mothers and their children"

- A state of connectedness between people (especially an emotional connection)

God knew what he was doing when he gave me all boys. I have enjoyed every minute of being a mom to my boys (minus junior high and the summer before college when they are not normal human beings).

For the past 26 years my boys have been one of the biggest parts of my life. As my spouse built a successful business (for which I am so proud of him), my world revolved around their growth; physically, mentally, and spiritually. We played in the leaves, the grass, the snow, the sand, the water, we watched Sesame Street together (one thing I really miss), I baked and they cleaned out the bowls, they ripped the kitchen apart and I put it back together, we built camps, tree houses, forts, set tents up in the basement, collected rocks, caught frogs, fish and other miscellaneous creatures.

They grew.

The toys and the games changed, but we still played. We had deep talks on the stuff of life as well as many laughs on the stuff of life. Their friends became a part of our lives and spent many hours in our home. We spent time together enjoying the many interests that became a part of their lives. Music, hunting, hiking, soccer, lacrosse, etc. There were hard times that stretched and challenged us, as well as fun times that will forever be etched in my memory.

Off to college and to 'real life'

I am less needed at this stage, something that is very hard for me to get used to. Mark has become the go to for the many academic and business issues that arise often in their lives. I am the emotional and relational go to person and, I guess fortunately, something they don't need so much. This is really all as it should be. I am proud of the man I married and I am happy to see my boys respect and admire that man.

Prayer took on a new meaning to me at this time. My daily 'work' was done. I had the typical questions; had I been a good mom, did I do the best I could for them, will they survive the many, many mistakes I made along the way, are they going to continue to grow in their faith, are they going to find a career that makes them happy, are they going to find the love that God intended for them., will they make wise decisions and do the right thing.

Well, it is a blessing to see the grace that God has once again so graciously shown. I see daily in the lives of my boys the answers to many prayers. I have great respect and admiration for the men they are becoming, how they are living their lives, taking ownership of their faith, and growing in their relationships.

Perfect? No. On the right path in their journey through life. Yup! That is all any of us can strive for until the day we go "Home".

This makes me a very happy and thankful mom. I have loved being mom and,

... no matter what I will always be 'mom'.

As I have often done, I will once again quote Dr. Seuss -

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."