Friday...whoo, Friday. Different set of kids working on AP exams, same Testing Coordinator (aka me) waiting patiently for them to finish. I just read Mrs. Leanne's post about her mama, and it made me wax nostalgic (I don't ever wax anything, so listen up!) about my mama...and then I got to thinking about how blessed I am with Mother's Day coming up.

Mother's Day can be a little tricky for me. The Sunday before mother's day was when my mom 'graduated'--aka got a brand new body and got to go home to be with her Creator--12 years ago. Some years I handle it with gusto and some years, ..well, not so much. My goal is for 2010 to be one of those 'gusto' years. I admit, I have fallen down on the job--not one card have I bought for any of the mamas in my life...but they say phone calls are more special anyway, so we're going to fly with that thought.

I'm a pretty blessed individual, if you ask me (go ahead, ask me!)--A lot of people get the chance to spend their lives being loved and influenced by an incredible mom...I have had six.

My biological mom, Angelia Brown Phillips, was the best mom I ever could have asked for. Ever. She never raised her voice at anyone (except that one time in high school when some telemarketer was trying to take advantage of her naive daughter--that would be me--and she got him on the phone. I'm glad I wasn't him.) Mama had a quiet faith; she didn't get to go to church a lot in the last few years she was alive because of her health, but every bit of advice she ever gave me was grounded in God's word. I remember sitting with her on more than one occasion and her begging me never to start drinking or smoking. Some people ask how I turned out as well as I did, and besides the Lord, I believe that it had a lot to do with the fact that her and daddy never threatened. They both told us growing up that there would never be anything we could be that was "too bad to come home for." That's not to say they didn't put the fear of God in us or spank us when we needed discipline, but we knew that no matter what, we would work it out. There was no threatening, but rather a pleading for us to do right. It worked. Mama wasn't a good housekeeper, but she worked a full-time job (not to mention the one-hour-each-way commute), so when she got home in the evenings she was more concerned with making sure she talked to daddy about how his day was, talked to us about our day at school or work, and spending time with us than she was with making sure there was no dust on the TV. I appreciate that more than I can say. I told my mom everything (even the time I got my cartilage pierced right before my 18th birthday without telling her...eventually I couldn't handle the guilt and showed her..her response? "Well, if that's the worst thing you ever do then I'll consider myself a success as a parent..but I don't want to be here when your father finds out.") and she was my best friend (save your sermons--I know parents and kids aren't supposed to best friends---but you know what I mean.)---I see girls walk through the halls of RCHS every day who talk about how much they loathe their mom, and I just want to grab them by the shoulders and say, "if you had any idea what it was like to be without her you'd shut your mouth."...but that's something you can't possibly understand unless you're there. We bought cookie sheets for mama for Mother's Day the year she died and we never got to give them to her. I used those cookie sheets up until a few years ago and I thought of her with every batch. :)

My Kansas mama, as I affectionately call June, has been in my life since around 1992. She and David were a couple at church that we had met---I don't know if it was the bright colors she always wore or the jewelry that made her fingers sparkle...it could have been the fact that she kind of took me under her wing not long after we met. Whatever it was, Mama June quickly became a huge influence in my life. In 1994 my brother found out he had Hodgkin's Disease. From March until November of that year, mama and daddy were at the hospital with him a few times a week in Augusta for chemotheraphy and radiation; so that I wouldn't be left at home or have to miss school, I would stay at David and June's house for a week at a time. I noticed that, no matter what day it was, there was always an adventure at their house--David was out working somewhere--trucking, mechanicking, cutting the field, or something else--and June was working on a project...quilting, sewing, planting, painting, or making a set of curtains out of something she had found in the storage closet. She cooks three times a day even now--it may be something small and simple, but you can be guaranteed that she's going to cook at least one part of every single meal..homemade biscuits, corn in the microwave (I mean corn on the cob, y'all--she knows how to make it in the microwave and it's yummy!), or pork chops on the grill. I don't think there's anything that she doesn't know how to make. June got saved not long after I met her, and she absolutely inspires me to be a better Christian. She is a phenomenal example of what a helpmeet is supposed to be for her husband, and she has a servant's heart like you wouldn't believe.

My Aunt Betty has got to be one of the sweetest ladies on the planet. She's my mom's oldest sister, and is old enough to have been my grandmother. I've known her my whole life, but after mama died she unofficially adopted our family. For a long time after that May she would bring meals over (for some reason, I noticed that the green beans she brought always came packaged in a Country Crock butter tub. Every. Single. Time.) :) She calls me, my brother, and my dad on a regular basis to check on us. She still makes million dollar salad for daddy on occasion because she knows he likes it. I get a card for every holiday (including my birthday, the most important holiday of all!) and she sees to it that I get invited to all of the family events. She was one of the people who had to give their stamp of approval on Casey before I could marry him, and I'm so glad she's been a part of my life the way she has. Aunt Betty has the market cornered on southern hospitality and she has made sure that I got my fair share of lessons in southern charm as well. She always makes sure I know that I'm being prayed for, and I'm confident that her prayers have been a huge contribution to the way some of my life has turned out.

My stepmom came into the picture in Christmas of 1999. Dad told me he'd met someone on the internet (yes, you read that right!) and I met her in the summer of 2000 right before I was leaving for my first mission trip to Costa Rica. I knew not too long after that that dad was going to marry her, and, as awkward as I felt about this new woman in my life, I saw a sparkle in my dad's eyes again that died when my mama did. For so long after mama died, I watched my dad just 'exist.' When Brenda came into the picture, I saw him gain an ounce of two or hope that life might just go on. Brenda is talkative (much like me) and you never have to question where you stand with her; I appreciate this personality trait in her because 99% of what she thinks, she says (if she can remember it that long :)). She wants to know all about my life (even the little details) and that shows me that she's interested in me. That makes me feel important. She has a heart the size of Montana...or Canada, better yet. There's not a thing in the world she wouldn't do for me--or dad--or my brother--or almost any Joe Blow off the street, because she's just that generous. She gives some of the best backscratches in the world, and doesn't get offended at all if you stick your feet in her lap and ask her for a footrub (and I have, on many occasions!) She is good to--and for--my daddy and I love her for that. She loves me and Greg like we came from her, but she's always been sensitive and has made sure that we know that she's not trying to take my mama's place. I appreciate that so much about her.

I met Mrs. Lisa seven years ago when I first started coming to Light of Calvary here in Conyers. I was drawn to her family for the way they seemed to bond with one another, and I think I remember calling my dad and saying I had met the white Cosby family. Over time, Mrs Lisa became another mom-away-from-mom that I could go to for advice, support, or just to cry. I appreciate so much the way that, no matter what question I have for her, she always answers with scripture. I yearn to have the Biblical knowledge that she does. She loves her husband and children beyond words and would fight for them to the death, if that's what it took. They are her absolute priority and you can see that in the decisions and sacrifices she makes. Through her Sunday School class I have learned a lot about what being a good wife means (though, at the time I was in her class, I remember being a little pessimistic as to whether or not I would ever get the chance to put into practice what I had been taught!)

Most recently, Mrs. Toni has come into my life. I'm thankful to say that I have a mother-in-law, not a monster-in-law :) Mrs. Toni struggles so much with her health and what she wants to say often comes out either garbled or not at all. That being said, she never ceases to put a smile on my face. She calls Casey a lot and tells him the she loves him and me (even if, at times, she can't remember my name...'Female' works just fine for me!) When she sees me at church, she always has a smile and a hug. She has had a huge part in the way my husband has turned out, and for that I am thankful--she and my father-in-law helped create the best husband this girl ever could have asked for. Mrs. Toni doesn't get around very well but still finds a way to keep her house clean, and that is a challenge to me to do better. She reads the Bible all the time and when I visit their house I often see scripture posted on the refrigerator, on her mirror, or by her bed and I am encouraged.

For the second day in a row, I want to say I am blessed. I am thankful for the women that the Lord has put in my life, and I consider it a privilege that some of each of them has contributed to who I am. Happy Mother's Day!!