I am a Wife

I am a wife to Walter for almost 13 years. Wow, I can't believe it has been that long! Before we met I did not want to get married or have children. But like they say, when you know, you know!

My friends always get a kick out of the story of how we met- at a red light! It was just like a scene out of a movie. He was with his friend and I was with mine. We kept being beside of each other at each red light and glancing over at each other. Finally we spoke to each other. Long story short, he and his friend came to see me and my friend at work the following night and the rest is history. We have been inseparable ever since! We were engaged after nine months and married after 14 months. I wouldn't change a single second!

He is my best friend and my soul mate. I still get excited when I hear his car pull in the driveway. When something good happens, I can't wait to tell him. When something bad happens, it is his shoulder I want to cry on. I am so proud to walk by his side and hold his hand.
When Walter and I met, neither one of us went to church or knew much about God. After his mom passed away, we started going to church on a regular basis. This relationship with God has made us grow closer together as we grow closer to Him. I thank God everyday for that red light!

I am a Mommy

I am a mommy. The hardest job on Earth and the most rewarding! I know people say that all the time, but until you are one, you just don't have a clue!

I remember when I was doing my student teaching. Madeline was 3 and Morgan was 1. I was student teaching full time and working a part time job at night and on the weekends. I was pulled really thin. I was talking to a fellow student teacher about all the things we had to do and I mentioned my kids and my part time job. Her response was, "I know what you mean, I have a dog." I'm sure the look on my face told it all! Clueless! But you know, I wouldn't have done it any other way. The hard work made it twice as rewarding in the end when they were able to watch their mommy walk across the stage and graduate.

As the years have gone on and the bottles and diapers have disappeared, they have been replaced with basketball practice, piano lessons and girl scouts. I want to make sure that my girls have every opportunity to grow, learn and have fun- no matter what the inconvenience to me. Sometimes my calendar looks like it has exploded! But it is all worth it when Morgan makes a basket in her basketball game and looks over at me and smiles. Or when Madeline learns a new song on the piano and plays it in her recital by memory. Both priceless moments for a mommy. But the most rewarding moments for me is when I see my children being kind to other people. That, to me, is the most important thing a mother can teach her child. I will feel like I have done a good job if my daughters grow up with a kind and compassionate heart!

I recently had surgery and had to be in the hospital for a few days. We had to figure out who was taking Morgan to basketball practice and Madeline to piano and how they would get home in the afternoon. Madeline was worried that she wouldn't be able to go to piano. I told her, "Honey, you'll still get to do everything you normally do, it will just take three people to do the job of Mommy instead of one!" Isn't that the truth?

Even though at the end of the day, being a mommy is the hardest job on earth- it is truly the most rewarding!

Who am I?

Who am I? That is a question we all struggle to answer at one point or another in our lives. How are we defined? By our job, family, income, car, home, looks, actions. None of these ever seem to be enough to identify who we really are. I am more than a teacher. I am more than a mother. I am more than a wife. I am more than my bank account. I am more than the car I drive. I am more than the house I live in. I am more than what I look like. I am more than what I have done or will do.

As the Casting Crowns song says, "Who am I? That the LORD of all the earth would care to know my name. Would care to feel my hurt." But let's remember that at the end of the verse, my favorite part, tells the truth... "I am yours."

I am God's child. I am his and HE is mine!