Moms and Memories

The other day Julian and I were reminiscing about some of our favourite family memories from growing up.

As we talked I thanked God for my mom, who did an amazing job at making me love my home and giving me many great memories and traditions that I hope to pass on to my children. Mom was on her own with my younger brother and I and she didn't become a Christian until I was around 12 years old, but God's grace and mercies were still evident in our lives before that as he always protected us, provided for us, and gave us a loving relationship which only grew when Mom and I were saved.

So Mom, tonight I'm thanking God for his hand in your life, for making you a mom that loved your children and sought to make a good home for us and make special memories with us. I am even more thankful that God saved you and me and that he's kept us and will keep us.

On that note, I thought I'd just journal some of my favourite family memories from my childhood:

• It was definitely my Mom that instilled the value of 'coziness' and 'comfy clothes' in me. From the earliest age I can remember getting cozy in our jammies, having lots of pillows and blankets and snuggling on the couch! I especially remember Friday evenings when we were a bit older and the TGIF tv programs were on.....we would get in our pajamas, pull out the couch (into a bed), get all the pillows in the house, have a yummy snack and stay up late watching Full House and Family Matters.
• Mom was always great at making our friends feel welcome in our home. I loved having sleepovers and having Mom make us french toast or pancakes the next morning for breakfast. Birthday parties were exceptionally exciting as I was allowed to have multiple friends sleep over all at once!
  
• Christmas was always a special time for us, and it became even more dear to me once we knew Jesus as our Lord. Every year we would get a great tree, most years a real one, (some years we'd even go and cut it down...very ambitious of you mother) and then we'd come home, put on Christmas music, have a snack tray and decorate our tree together. On Christmas Eve we would also have the music and snacking and mom would read from one of the gospels about Jesus' birth. I really loved these times.
  
• I have to admit that our family liked Nintendo and each year for several years, we'd get the new and latest game. The early Super Mario Bros. were our favourites and Mom was pretty good at these games. I'll never forget her trying to get the one hundred extra lives in the first Super Mario Bros. and Philip and I going to hide in another room to wait because we would be so nervous and excited that we just couldn't watch! We did have some really great times playing these video games together as a family during our Christmas vacation.
• Sunday mornings were definitely my favourite times when we first became Christians. Mom would always put some Christian music up really loud (Songs From the Loft, hehe, or Holy Holy Holy) in order to wake us up. We'd have a nice breakfast and then mom would read a devotional to us. I'll never forget those times and I'll never forget that newness of joy we had when we first came to Christ.
  

Well the list could go on, but I think I'll stop here. In addition to the memories that my mom created for us to cherish, she also created a relationship between us that was very open and honest. I never once felt that I wanted or needed to hide things from her and I could always talk to her and confess what was going on in my heart and life. I trusted her and her counsel and this is such a precious memory from growing up. I am praying that God would grant me this type of relationship with my daughters. Mom and I are still so close now for which I feel truly grateful and blessed.

I just wanted to say thanks Mom and tell you how much I love you. Thanks for giving me wonderful memories and so much love, but thank you mostly for pointing me to Jesus.

I definitely want my children to love their home and have some of the same great memories that I do. I thank God for his grace in your life, for making you into the hardworking, loving woman that you are, and I pray for his continued grace, that he would continue to refine you and make you a woman of steadfastness. I pray that all that you do would be for his glory. I am so thankful that my children have such an awesome "gramma", and I look forward to all the memories that you're starting to make with them and our little family.