My Thoughts on Mothers and My Mothers Day

Sarah and Lily on Sunday morning, Mother's Day '07

Sarah wearing the same dress she wore one year ago today when we first met her! Yes, this was what her foster mother put on her for Gotcha Day!

Mom and her girls today!

My girls lovin' on me!

Sarah in the little house.

Lily peakin' out her window.

Oops, Lily fell out the window.

Do you think I need to pull their hair back?!

We had a great day today. Besides being Mother's Day, this is the day we celebrate our anniversary of getting Sarah! Yes, we were in China one year ago today waiting to meet our little girl! In fact, in honor of this day, I allowed her to wear the dress her foster mother had on her the day we met. With most adoptions, that first outfit is usually something of great value. I still have Lily's outfit although she could not fit in hers anymore. As for my boys...they all basically came to me naked so I don't have any outfits like I have for the girls!

Mother's Day is a great day, isn't it? I celebrated my first Mother's Day sixteen years ago! I couldn't wait to be a mom! We lived in Louisville, Kentucky at the time. We went through a lot of medical issues at the time. We had one failed adoption. Then along came TJ! What a day that was! I'd like to comment on the "Mom's" in my life:

Flo Johnson. My mom had eight children! I was the fifth child...thus the reasoning behind my committment to having at least five children....I'm so glad she did! How would I describe my mom? I don't think there is anyone on the face of the earth that dislikes me mom. We drove her absolutely nuts growing up...but she survived. She has patience beyond what anyone could imagine! She has a sense of humor like no one I know! If you want a good laugh, hang out with my mom! My mom loves peace. She loves it when everyone gets along. She'll do anything to keep peace...to the point of sacrificing things for herself. I was blessed to have the mother that I had. She is wonderful. Mom is a Grandma to 21 kids! Go Mom!

Carolyn Alexander. This is my mother-in-law. I can say with complete honesty that I really like my MIL! In fact, I call her "mom." To be quite honest, I don't think I know a better servant (I say this in terms of how she gives of her life) in this world! She often thinks of others long before she thinks of herself. She did a darn good job raising her only son! I reap the benefits of the job she did! She's probably one of the hardest working people I know. She loves her family very much, too. She had three kids, Tom and his two sisters. She keeps busy with 19 grandkids! I love my mother-in-law.

Birth Moms. There are three birthmoms in my life. I'd first like to mention TJ's birthmom. Her name is Shannon. Shannon chose life for her little boy and chose me to be his mom! Whew! I don't know any act that is more self-less than this! I have a great deal of respect for Shannon! She is somewhere in the US, but I'm not certain where. I pray a lot for her on Mother's Day and on TJ's birthday....the two days I think she may be struggling. I pray a peace over her that surpasses all understanding! My prayer is that she is doing well and living a life that is good. She has blessed us in such a phenominal way! I doubt that they celebrate Mother's Day in China, but regardless, there are two women in China that blessed us, too! I'm not certain of their circumstances. I don't know if they even played a role in placing their daughters in a place where they'd be found. Lily's birthmom is in Guangdong Province and Sarah's is in Guangxi. I pray they have peace in their lives for what has happened to their girls. I choose to believe that they loved thier daughters deeply. I will never be able to thank them for blessing our lives. I am certainly blessed. May they have peace.

Foster Mother. The other mother in my life that I've grown to really appreciate is the foster mother that did a wonderful job of taking care of Sarah for 22 months until we could get to her! She has fostered five other children along the way. She did a great job taking care of Sarah. I'll never forget the day we met nearly a year ago! We embraced, both of us with tears streaming down our faces. She managed to speak the only English she knew, "I love you." It is wild to think that we only spent 20 minutes together. We couldn't speak the same language and yet we understood so much about the other because of a common love for a little girl names Min XiaoNing who became our Sarah! Thank you Miss. Mo!

That's my thoughts on Mother's Day.

Kathy