Many of you who read my daily blog already know this special person and how much she means to a lot of people. But, for those who don’t, meet the Mrs. The shot today was taken recently at a local Macaroni Grill on April 1st (yes, April Fool’s Day) to celebrate the 18th year since our first date.
Without getting too mushy, I would simply like to say that I don’t know where I would be today if the Lord hadn’t brought us together. She has been a light, an inspiration, a lover, and a friend. Her two children from a previous marriage have been like my own children to me and I love them (and the grandboys) very much.
Being Mother’s Day, I also want to call out to my Mother (the below is a picture of her when she was young) who has been the perfect example of unconditional love to me. I surely put her through it growing up, but, to this day, we have a strong bond and I will always thank God for letting me have her as a mother.
To celebrate Mother’s Day, we went to lunch this afternoon with one of the kids and later with the other and her family. At lunch, while eating, I looked over and noticed the bus boy cleaning tables. He was a young man probably in his 20’s and African-American. I couldn’t get over one thing about him; he was smiling and seemed truly happy to be cleaning up those tables.
It was if he carried a sense of gratitude and cleaning those tables was something he enjoyed. After a few minutes, he walked by and I told him he had blessed me today. He looked confused and I told him it was his happy attitude. He thanked me and moved on (probably thought I was some kind of weirdo! .…)
I mean, who does that? Who likes cleaning up after people who really don’t care that they leave a huge mess behind and barely tip them? I don’t. I love to serve people, don’t take me wrong, but, to get a job doing that is not something I would look for; not unless it was one of the only options I had. Yet, this guy found joy in cleaning those messes up. Who knows why, but it made me think of that old cliché, ‘Service with a Smile’.
Mother’s are like that, too. I can’t even begin to count how many times my poor mother had to clean up my messes, wash my clothes, wash my face, and feed me (even after I ate all the awesome chocolate chip cookies she used to make). It’s that thankless love they have for their children that goes above and beyond. Their willingness to sacrifice so we might have what we need. That accepting gracefulness that sees the true person inside and doesn’t judge us superficially.
Yes, Mother’s Day is a special day, not just because we love our mother and want them to know it, but because it reminds us of those values, sacrifices, and times they were the only ones in our universe who loved us more than themselves.
Today, I don’t just want to thank my mom (and that I do), but I want to say a big thank you to all the mothers out there who give so freely of themselves, serve their families ‘with a smile’, and who, truly, make the world go around.
Love always friends,
Brad
