I’ve told you the story about how my older brother, Tom, blew his knee up with a homemade hand grenade when he was fourteen (July 5th,1968) and how Mom, when presented with her bleeding eldest son,  simply opened the door and invited him and his friends who were carrying him into the house.  You just could not faze this woman.  I have not told you how while I was a single dad, I prayed for a woman who would love my girls as if they were her own, and also encourage them to have a proper relationship with their real mother.  Wow, did God come through for me!

 

At best, being a mom is not easy (did I mention my brother almost blew himself up?).  But when you marry into a family (particularly my family), it can be very difficult.  Bev has been such a wonderful mom.  It has not been easy, not that the girls are particularly evil, but being a mom is difficult (I think I’ve mentioned that).  Now we are grandparents and I get to watch (and laugh) at Meg and Charlie, as Kai grows. 

 

Meg is a really great mom.  Last year, at Kai’s first birthday (when she was old enough to do things), Meg was correcting some of Kai’s behavior.  I was so incredibly impressed.  Meg looked at her daughter and simply said, “Oh no, ma’am.” When Kai looked at her mom, Meg explained to her what she did wrong and told her to stop.  I really love the “no ma’am”!  There is correction and yet a respect for Kai as a (little) person.  Kai is going to be two next month and apparently has hit the “terrible” stage right on cue.  You may recall last month Kai managed to Super Glue her eye shut; but this week when Meg and I were talking on the phone, she offered to ship her precious gift from God to us for a while (Oh, hurt me!).

 

Being a mom can seem like a thankless job, and it would be easy to forget that raising children is an 18 year-long (or so) process with a goal of producing well-adjusted adults. But it is not thank-less, thank-delayed maybe.  Hang in there and have a wonderful Mother’s Day.

 

Bill