My Angel, My Mom, My Gift From God...Wisdom from the One Who Raised Me

The moment I read the post written by Jo-Anne Smith announcing a very inspiring contest idea from Bill Cherry Inspiration 'Wisdom from the one who raised me' contest I knew without doubt I wanted to share this beautiful person that I love so much, my Mom.

The sweetness of a honeydew, the beauty of a rose...My Angel, My Mom, My Gift From God

Another time and in another place there she was, my sweet Mom being brought into this world. When God handed her over, he made sure she had strong wings to protect, to love and to take flight when needed.

As a young girl she learned early to use that strength that she was given and to never, ever give up. Although she was raised by my Grandma and Grandpa, the relationship she had with Grandma wasn’t the greatest. I’ll just say, my Mom and Grandma never met eye to eye, most of the time. Mom had to use her wings and find the strength she needed to fly.

For some time before Great Grandma's passing, Mom lived with Great Grandma. It’s heartbreaking to hear Mom tell the story of losing her Grandma, her protector, the one who helped Mom spread her wings and be strong.

Not so long after Great Grandma's passing, Mom met my father and they had me. She was only 19. The story she tells of the day I was born is so comforting to me. “I’ll never forget the day you were born, I was in labor for many hours, but it was all worth it because I got to hold you in my arms and love you, the most beautiful baby I have ever seen”. (all Mom’s say that, right?)

It was just me and Mom most of the time. They never had anymore children. My father was out of town a lot. Mom would take me to school, dance, gymnastics, the emergency room for the occasional sprain, break, burn or bee sting (allergic to the darn buzzards). She gave me the best Birthday parties ever and was always a room mother. No matter what, no matter where and never without doubt, she was always there to love me and protect me with her angel wings.

Then for a moment, for a time, and not a place that I like to visit often, Mom and my father decided to divorce. I was only 8, the only child and I felt as though my world just completely fell apart and there was nobody there to lean on or to protect me from the broken life that began. My Mom, like a timid little child tucked her angel wings away, because now she had to be solid as a rock. She worked 2 jobs to take care of me and her. I went from having my angel there all the time to searching for her often and hoping that one day I would get her back.

Time passed, lessons were learned and all that time that she was working really hard, it wasn’t that her wings were put away temporarily, it was that her wings were holding her up so that she could stand tall, be strong and never collapse and fall.

Mom went through some really hard times following the divorce. Many times I wanted to run away from the world and hope that my angel would find me in the serenity and peace that we both needed so desperately. Soon, that is what happened. She spread her wings out, only stronger than ever before. That is when she fell in love again and became whole. The man she married gave her so much love and happiness that she couldn't help but spread her wings out and take flight.

From that day forward, again, no matter what, no matter where and never without doubt, she was always there to love me and protect me with her angel wings.

The lessons I have learned from the wise one, the loving one, the beautiful woman I call Mom is:

• Stand tall, be strong and never, ever give up.
• Know who you are and don't let other's tell you who you should be.
• Give much from your heart because the more you give the better you feel.
• Never be late.
• Prove your value.
• Always, always give your very best.
• Be who God meant for you to be. Don't limit yourself.
• and "I love you and believe in you, now you need to do the same".
• Express your feelings.
  
• Be affectionate.
• Work very hard, consistently and always.
  

As hard as this was to finally get down in writing (blogging), it's actually turned out to be something my heart needed to release and an expression I needed to show and maybe my sweet Mom will read this and know even more how much I truly love her, My Angel, My Mom, My Gift From God.

This beautiful song also reminds me that It's God's Will and it's up to me to make that difference in my life to be the person that I'm truly meant to be, no matter what circumstances have lead me to this point in my life. And I choose to:

Give graciously, love affectionately, and spread my wings out to search for more dreams I want to fulfill. All because I have had my Mom and her wisdom. I love you Mom!

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Julie Neerings, GRI- Heart of Utah Real Estate Copyright © 2008- If you are considering buying, selling, military relocations to Hill AFB or relocating to Utah, you deserve local expertise and advice to be provided by a professional in real estate. Julie Neerings is a Utah REALTOR® providing full time, professional real estate services to buyers and sellers in the cities of Layton, Bountiful, Woods Cross, West Valley, West Jordan, South Jordan, Riverton, Herriman and all surrounding cities.