Thank you so much Vanessa Williams for nominating me for this! 🤗 I count it a blessing to honor my mother!

Here are the rules:

1. Thank the person who nominated you to participate.

2. Link back to the original post.

3. Use the original featured image.

4. Copy and paste the meaning of this tag into your post.

5. Answer the questions.

6. Nominate one or more people to participate.

7. Enjoy the rest of your month! 

The Meaning of this Tag:

A mother is someone who loves her child unconditionally, nourishes them, protects them always, teaches them values, disciplines them fairly, and wants the best for them. For that, we should always, ALWAYS have respect for our mothers. They are designed to bring beautiful life into this world and nurture that precious life as God created them to. Mother’s Day is about reminding your mother how much you appreciate her, but I hope this tag will perhaps remind you this month how blessed you are to have a mother at all.

Now, I don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea about this tag. Trust me, I study psychology in college currently and I know there is no perfect relationship with a parent. If you have been abused, neglected, or abandoned by your mother then you probably will not enjoy the idea of honoring her. And you know what? There is nothing wrong with how you feel. She hurt you, and that hurt may never go away depending on how severe it was. Your mother may be an addict, a narcissist, an abuser, a cheater, a liar…the list goes on and on. I am blessed to have the mother I have, because I think of her as pretty close to perfect, but many are not as blessed as I have been.

However, (I know, that’s never a fun word to hear), we are called to honor our mothers. For me, that’s easy. My mother is my best friend and is the most amazing person in existence besides Jesus in my mind. Honoring her is the least I can do for everything she has been through, everything she has sacrificed, and everything she does daily to be the incredible person and mother she is. 

But, like I said before, many don’t feel that way about their mothers and the last thing they may want to do is call their mom, send her a card, or give her a present for simply giving birth to them. (Trust me, I have a step-mother and two grandmothers I don’t speak to). So…how does one honor their mother in that case?

Pray for her. What she did or didn’t do in childhood has many ramifications, many of which you may live daily, and exposing yourself to her abuse for the sake of Mother’s Day is not a good idea and I don’t encourage it. What I have learned from dealing with other family members is that it’s okay to love and honor someone from afar. It’s better to learn to love and forgive someone from a distance than to hate and hurt up close.  Don’t be ashamed for doing that. Honoring someone does not mean letting them hurt you anymore. Just say, “Thank you for being in my life as God willed it, I forgive you for what you’ve done, but I am going to love you and honor you from a safe distance.” 

May I share some words of encouragement? I know it may make this tag a bit long, but I feel like there’s someone that needs to hear this:

• Your mother wasn’t kind to you, but that does not mean you are not worthy of kindness.

• Your mother wasn’t there for you, but that does not mean no one ever will be.

• Your mother abused you, but that does not mean you deserved it.

• Your mother lies, but that does not mean you don’t know the truth.

• Your mother manipulates, but that does not mean you can’t get control back in your life.

• Your mother loved you as she was capable of loving you, but God loves you unconditionally and will give you the love she was unable to give.

Honor your mother, whether it’s through a simple prayer or a sweet gift on Mother’s Day. If you can’t do it for her, do it for you. And, if you believe in Him, do it for Him. 

Dollfaced Writer

******************

Here are the Questions:

1. What is your relationship like with your birth mother, if anything at all?

My relationship with my mom was wonderful! I could talk to her about anything.

2. What is one thing you would change about your birth mother if you could? What is one thing you wouldn’t change?

If I were to be selfish, I would change her getting cancer and dying, so she could have stayed with us! But I just WOULDN’T change it. Because she is in a better place! I will see her again!

3. Who do you celebrate on Mother’s Day (your mother, step-mother, grandmother, aunt, etc.)?

There’s only my Aunt Ruthie left. Both my parents and my husband’s parents are all passed away. All my grandparents and my husband’s grandparents are gone, too. 😢 So, I celebrate my Aunt Ruthie!

 

4. What was the most valuable thing she taught you? My Mom taught me to love unconditionally! I thought it was just me, but I have had others tell me this is what they loved about my mother. And my step-mom taught me the same thing, but also to stay in church. My Aunt has taught me to stand up for what’s right and to stay in church.

 

5. What is one thing she does (did) that you would never do? My mom could sell you the Golden Gate Bridge!!! She was a saleswoman. She sold everything! Avon, Amway, Watkins, herbs, etc…Not me! Nada!!!! I hate selling!!!

My step-mom could talk a person’s head off!!! I probably will never be that talkative!

 All three women could sew their own outfit. I did not get this talent 😂🤷‍♀️

6. How do you honor her on Mother’s Day?

Flowers for grave. But for my aunt, I usually either buy her something with a card or take her out to eat.

 

7. How has your relationship with her impacted the person/parent you are today? I would like to hope that I could love others at least half the way both moms did! And my aunt! And I also had the kind of relationship that my girls could also tell me anything. With my aunt, she is the one who invited me to church. Because of that, my dad came back to God and 3 more of my siblings did, even though they no longer attend any church at the moment.

 

I am tagging:

Debbie

Jan

**Do I have any other takers? Guys?…ANYONE else who wants to join? Don’t feel like you have to! If you do join in I look forward to seeing your post!

This was not in the original post, but I would like to add pics of my moms and aunt!

 My mother on the left and stepmom to the right in their younger years.

My Aunt Ruthie on the left and yours truly 😝

Thank you for reading!