Most Wonderful Mom Moment Ever!

Robert came home from his second job last night at 11:30. I was asleep in the recliner (stupid back). :) I woke up enough to say hello and was thinking I'd head back to sleep. Being "my" son and so much like me, he needed to talk, so I woke on up to listen. I am so glad I did!!!!!!

I had the most wonderful moment a mom could ever have, and I just sat there, in the dark, and listened to him and cried and held his hand, and oh my! I have never cried so many happy tears in all my life!!!!!! All I could think of was two things.

I may be a big fat slob (which I am, but not for the rest of my life). I may be not a nice person. I may be a lousy teacher by some's view. I may be not much to look at. I will never be of any importance or famous or well off. But, I (and Rob) did something good in this world, something right because that young man is ours!

All those hard times, and there have been many. All those years of sacrifice. Those "bad" years when our marriage was young, and we were oh so young, and trying to survive layoffs, no food, no money, three in diapers, both going to college and working while juggling three under the age of three (then three ages 1-4, ages 2-5...), all those days I had to load diaper pails into the wagon, strap two toddlers to the wagon handle with a walking "leash" for lack of better word, carry one baby on my hip and a diaper bag with diapers, extra clothes, snacks, toys, books and my own backpack of homework and walk with them and the wagon to the laundromat, all those days Rob & I would one of us be in class, and the other would bundle three babies/toddlers up in coats and hats and carry them all out to buckle them into car seats and drive to campus to trade so the other could get to class ten minutes later (and repeat that a couple times a day).......ALL that paid off.

I look back and then it didn't feel like it would ever end- it was just hard. I couldn't have imagined that I would raise such fine young people. I would never have known how much I would love these kids or how my heart would burst with pride at the young adults they would become.

My :) List for today is this: I am a mom of three amazing, wonderful, talented and maturing young adult children! That is more than enough for me!

Robert Michael Dale, Barbara Rose, and Matthew Lane, you just really have no idea how much you are loved by God, your parents and grandparents, your Aunt Jessica, your friends and many others.

And you have no idea how very, very proud your mom and dad are of you! But I pray that as you keep maturing into these amazing adults you are becoming, you will know two things: the absolutely profound and endless love & mercy of God first & FOREMOST. And that you will know how very deeply your parents love and cherish each of you. You are and always will be my greatest pride & joy! I will ALWAYS love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I could not be more proud of you than I am!