My Mom - the Epitome of Sacrifice

I am who I am today because of my Mom.  My Mom gave me a most precious gift.  She gave me the gift of sacrifice.  Our lives were not easy, but my Mom took what she was given and did the absolute best she could. She sacrificed through her years of working as recess teacher so that we could attend a private Christian school.   Once she left the playground, she would go to her second job as a daycare teacher and take care of even more kids in the afternoons and during the summer. 



We did not have much.  We could not afford expensive clothes.  Therefore, my dear mom used the gift of her precious hands and made us the most beautiful clothes.  One of her proudest moments was when someone thought we were rich just because of the nice clothing that we wore as children.  Some of my sweetest memories were Saturday mornings spent at the fabric store choosing patterns and fabric. 

Not only were we able to go to a private Christian school, but my mom worked it out that we could even participate in school activities.  How did we save money on cheerleading uniforms?  My mom made every cheerleading skirt.  The hours she spent pleating eight skirts with sixteen little pleats. The same sacrifice was made for my brother and sister.  Many a spring night was spent on the Tara Village baseball field watching my brother's baseball game.



                               

My mom taught us the gift of sacrifice, loyalty and to never give up.  My sweet Daddy loved my Mom, but he was controlled by his addiction to alcohol. Most of the time, my mom didn't feel that love from my Daddy, but she chose to stick with it in really difficult times. She didn't give up on him.  She hoped and prayed for the day when his addiction would stop. She stayed loyal to him even though she hurt and wanted so much more for our family.

 

My Mom was not able to give us much in the eyes of the world, but what she gave us was more important than anything we could have been given materialistically.  Through her gift of sacrifice, I learned the importance of sacrificing the unnecessary to give my children what is necessary in their lives.  Thank you Mom for being the epitome of SACRIFICE!

I Love You!