Happy New Year!

This is me and my grandma.  She has been enjoying heaven for several years now, but what I wouldn't give to ask her one question.  "How did you do it?!"  When she passed away, I was a mom of an infant and a 3 year old.  I had not yet experienced the days where motherhood felt like an uphill battle.  We were just entering the days of constant discipline, correction, and the sudden belief that mommy always wanted an opinion on what she was asking to be done.  It wasn't until her funeral that I learned from my dad that he could not recall a time when grandma raised her voice at them.  And trust me, this was not because she had mild mannered, perfectly behaved children.  She raised 4 ornery boys and 5 spirited girls.  Yes, 9 children.  NINE!  and not one voice raising?  I've fallen far below that standard for sure.  It's my resolution for the New Year to have more patience and understanding with my boys....to attempt to be more like grandma :)  She loved the Lord and she loved her family.  It was evident in all that she did.  I remember hearing her and grandpa praying for each of their children......and their spouses.....and each of their grandkids.....each night before bed.  That became quite a list as the years passed!  She was a faithful servant...committed to her role as a wife and a mother.  I think of her so often now that I find myself in those same roles.  I'm so grateful for such a godly heritage.  Both of my grandmothers, my mom and my mother-in-law....all such wonderful examples of how to navigate through the journey of motherhood with Christ at the center.  What a blessing indeed. 

 Here's to a new year full of lessons and learning, surprises and adventures.  Happy 2015!