Precious gifts from my mother

Mother and children, I was three years old at the time
I am often asked how I can juggle full-time work and be the keeper of my home and a wife and mother. I can do it because I have been well taught and I am so thankful. My teacher was my MOTHER. 

I am my mother's fifth and last child.  She set out to train all of us, my brothers and I in the art of domestic management and for a lady who also worked full time as a teacher, she did a remarkable job. I may not have thought much about it at the time (in fact I can remember grumbling when taught how to dust), but looking back, she was remarkable.   And thanks to her, I can manage now.  We may not have been home schooled, but what we were taught outside of school hours has been priceless.

As I approached Mothers Day, I started to write a list of all the wonderful "gifts" that my mother has given me, gifts that allow me to get through each day stress free and gifts that I have been passing onto own my children.  My mother is now old and frail and I want her to know how much I love her for all that she has given me. I think we often forget to tell our mothers how precious they are, until it is too late. 

So what are the gifts I treasure?
  • How to manage a home - all aspects of cleaning the home from the fridge to the bathroom, cooking for a family, shopping for the family, stocking the pantry, storing of food, dealing with a crisis, washing and ironing the clothes, how to multi-task and juggle etc..... I think she must have worked her way through Mrs Beeton's Household Management book as I don't think she missed anything!
  • The art of cooking and sharing the food with others
  • The skill of being organised (however mum tells me that this came naturally to me!)
  • The joy of classical music and art
  • The love of reading, discovering the world and people through books
  • The gentle art of embroidery, sewing, knitting (but never crocketing)
  • The love of learning and discovery
  • The importances of a stable and loving family
  • To be a lady and being feminine
  • To dress with modesty (I did ignore parts of this during my youthful years!)
  • The love of beauty, "seeing" what is around me
  • Strength and trying my hardest, even if it hurt
  • A "can do" attitude
  • All things are possible
  • Not giving up
  • Being creative
  • Talking to others
  • The love of animals
  • Kindness and caring for others (sharing)
  • Mother's love . . . mother and daughters
  • Its ok to be different - don't be afraid to be a Christian
  • To sit quietly and behaviour appropriately (still useful as an adult)
  • Patience's, things will come to those who wait
  • To be brave when things get tough
  • And not to grumble when sick!!
  • To love my brothers
There are probably others that I will think of later.
But most importantly and the most precious -- my mother is a devout Christian and her love for the Lord Jesus Christ was always on her lips and in her heart.  She lived her life by His word and she has been a wonderful example of what a Christian woman should be.  She has been my role model and I pray that some of her has rubbed off onto me.  From our cradles she taught us and shared with us her love for Christ and even though I went through a stage of rebellion, what she taught me is still strongly inside me.  Her greatest gift of all was sharing her love for the Lord with her children.


So thankyou mum for all the gifts you given me, each one will be treasured and used often, none will sit in the cupboard and collect dust. I even enjoy sharing some of these gifts with others.


What gifts are you passing onto your sons and daughters? 

What will they look back on and say "these are the most precious treasures from my mother"?


To be honest, it isn't always the number of hours you spend with your children, it is what you teach them, show them, share with them, laugh with them, and how much you love them that is important.


"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength".And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up".
Deuteronomy 6:4-9


Comments

  1. What a sweet photo of your mother!! And I love the gifts you mentioned - Have a lovely weekend ~

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    1. May you to have a blessed weekend with your family.

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  2. Jo this is a wonderful and beautiful tribute to your Mother and the values that she gave you. The photo is precious beyond words. I know that you have gone on to pass these values on to your children. Happy Mother's Day Jo.

    Xo
    Vicki

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    1. Vicki - we only have one mother and they are very precious :)

      Have a blessed weekend with your family.

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  3. How sweet! I enjoyed reading your thoughts about your mum!

    Juggling being a keeper at home and having a job certainly takes organization and following routines consistently I would imagine.

    Have a very blessed and beautiful Mother's day! :)

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    1. Yes, it does mean being organised, but after awhile I don't even notice the routine as it just happens!! Women are very good at juggling and multi-tasking.

      Thankyou for dropping by, have a very blessed weekend :)

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  4. I couldn't help but smile when you mentioned grumbling when learning to dust. I'm a groan woman, and I still grumble when it's dusting time.

    Your mother seems to have truly inspired you to be the wonderful woman that you are today. She's shared with you so many blessings and skills. How fortunate for you! :)

    Have a blessed Mother's Day Dear Friend. :)

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    1. Thankyou - yes, my mother was a very (still is) a very special woman. Sadly I don't get to see her very often.

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  5. That's a great list, and I think we probably don't stop and take note of all the wonderful things our mothers (parents even) taught us or passed on to us through example. And it is true - it's not just the TIME we spend with our children, it's how we use the time we have with them (even mothers who don't work can wile away the hours or ignore her children or neglect to teach them the things they need to learn!).
    That's a great photo of your brothers and mother - I laughed a little when I noticed that you and your mother are dressed nicely with shoes on, but your brothers look a little unkept and have bare feet!!! Haha! Sounds about right for boys/brothers!! :)

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    1. My brothers were all very lively and ran all over the farm. Trying to sit for a photo was probably hard enough!! Getting to wear shoes would have been impossible. Once I was a little older I didn't wear shoes very often either.

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  6. Sounds like you had one amazing mom. Happy Mother's Day to you too.

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  7. She was an amazing woman, I just didn't know it at the time. Like most kids I just took it as normal.

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  8. I enjoyed reading this. I need to do somrthing like this too but I'll most probably do it in my private journal. I agree with your mum that being organised seems to come naturally to you:)

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    ReplyDelete

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