The Passionate Mom

The Passionate Mom Book from Family First on Vimeo.

I am a Passionate Mom!

I have been passionate about my children every day since I first smelled each one! Yep, that’s what started it for me! That YUMMY baby smell.

I can still remember the newborn smell of every one of my children.

My firstborn, Tim, came into my life when I was just a teenager. We grew up together. We are STILL growing up together Tim and me. That’s how we roll!!

Sunday is his birthday!

“In those days” (as someone really old would say) Mommy’s, even when they were babies themselves, were all alone in the labor room and all alone in the delivery room and all alone when they saw their babies for the first time. I remember the moment I first placed my eyes and my hands on Tim. That moment changed my life forever. It was the moment I went from taking care of me to taking care of us. There has never been a moment since that day, when I have been unaware of the claim that Tim staked in my heart for him alone. We spent the first 3 years of Tim’s life, just him and me. He was my whole world.

The second time I became a Mom, my life was very different. I was older and wiser but felt no more “capable or worthy” to be a mother than when Tim was born.

My Andy, was a big 8 and 1/2 pound boy, who stole our hearts, mine, his Dads and his BIG brother Tim. This time, his Dad carried him over to my bedside and tenderly lowered him to my lips for my first smell and kiss. My seal of ownership. NO OTHER WOMAN would ever be called Andy’s Mom. Oh my, I remember that newborn smell.  I remember sobbing all over him. I remember the room and the people all around us. The truth is, my life was a bit of a hot mess when Andy was born, you can read that story here. I had been working so hard to try to figure out who I was and where my value was. Andy brought a change into our lives. I didn’t know it at the time but Andy’s life would usher in our familys’ new life in Christ.

Today is his birthday!

A friend of mine was recently asked in an interview, if she could change the world, what would she do. She mentioned something about World Peace. My answer would be this one, that every child would grow up in a healthy God centered home. That would change the world! Wouldn’t it be AWESOME if every child was born to a healthy (mentally, spiritually and physically) Mommy and Daddy.

Working at a crisis pregnancy center has shown me that is NOT the case. We give birth as HUMANS who are on a journey. We have faults, we have weaknesses, we have loss, we have pain and it happens WHILE we are being Moms and Dads.

My last fresh newborn smell was even more radical than the first two, this time God SURPRISED us. This time our “newborn”, our Julianna, was one month old before my face presses up against her TINY cheeks. This time I was settled into my life in Christ; my calling; my personal place of grace. This time, God made me a Mom through adoption. Here is her story:

Being a Mom is WITHOUT QUESTION, the most precious and priceless gift I have ever been given. I am PASSIONATE about my children and now I have staked a claim upon my daughters by marriage, Kim and Bethany and my Grandchildren–AJ, Jacob, Mikala, Kai and Bella (Now THAT”S a whole ‘nother blog!)

My beautiful friend Susan Merrill has written this brand new book about the passion of motherhood. Oh my. This precious friend has captured some of the sweetest words I have ever read to lasso the moon of mommy hood! I truly feel that her book will become a best seller. I know I’ll be buying one for all the Mom’s I know and love!

I am giving away 5 signed copies of her book over the next few weeks that lead up to her BIG LAUNCH on April 16th and she will be guest posting here on my blog soon.

Share in the comments HOW MANY CHILDREN you have (by birth, adoption or calling!) and be registered to win one of my give-away books!

Maybe NEXT my friend Susan will write about the PASSIONATE GRANDMA!!

Watch out world 🙂