Dear Mothers.........

 Before I start the post I want to bring your attention to Mr. Wonderful!  See this- this is side sitting.  And Michael now does this without crying- YEA!!!  Not only that....

 He can rock forward......and.......

 go to crawling!!!!  WAHOOO!!!!!!!!  Go Michael!!!  Oh and at therapy he signed "more" again!  Which confirms that it is not a mistake :)  PRAISE JESUS!!!  He actually "talked" to his speech therapist too!  In fact it seems like as the weeks pass he is babbling more and more!  AND- DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!!!  HE SAT STRAIGHT UP!!!  Several times with his legs in front of him folded.  (not sure what position this is technically called).  More impressive - it was on a swing and he balanced himself!  I mean you may not understand how much of a big deal this is, but let's put it this way.  He has never sat up straight with no assistance before.  His lower trunk muscles were just not strong enough.   The best part of therapy Friday was that after he was done....he crawled right to me with a big grin on his face!! PRAISE GOD for healing!!  THIS IS ONE PROUD MAMA ALERT!!!  Just sayin' :) 

AWESOME UPDATE:  Ok so I was just playing with little mr. wonderful and I promise he said mama!!!  :)

 OK now on to my regular blog post........

 Dear Mothers,

I know you feel like sometimes you are lousy at your job.  I know because I feel that way too.  I know sometimes you feel as though you don't have any days where you have any energy left at the end of the day.  You feel like you have been spat up on, puked on, and well.....peed on as well.  You have no idea what it means to use the bathroom by yourself.   You feel like the meals must somehow run together because you swear you just fed your crew a couple of hours ago! 

 When someone asks what you last bought for yourself you can't remember.  You seem to live in a world that maybe your husband supports, but can't fully understand.  You try to remember what it was like to have free time when all you have now is possibly a nap time if you are lucky and you have to squeeze in laundry and house cleaning in that time. 

 TAKE COURAGE!!!  YOU WOMEN OF THE LORD!!!  TAKE HEART!!!!!  YOU ARE AMAZING!!!!  YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL (spit up and all!!)!!!!  YOU ARE MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD!!!!  YOU ARE DOING ONE OF GOD'S BIGGEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL JOBS ON THE PLANET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 I WANT TO SAY - THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  PERSONALLY I would come to each and every one of your houses to tell you if I could.  I would wrap my arms around you right now and say- YOU ARE DOING GREAT!!!!!!!!!! 

 PLEASE!!!  PLEASE REMEMBER THAT EVERY MOTHER IS GOOD ENOUGH!  WE ARE ALL MOM ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!  I DON'T CARE IF YOU: breast feed or not, home school or not, give your family all organic food or not, co-sleep or put the crib on the opposite side of the house, or if you have a feeding schedule or feed on demand, if you adopt or not, if you have 1 child or 19, if you drive a fancy car or a huge bus, if you feel like you are good enough or not!!!!!  WHY?  Because GOD MADE YOU A MOTHER!!!!!!!!!

 Whether by biology or adoption- GOD MADE YOU A MOTHER!  It was NOT A MISTAKE!  GOD- GOD DOES NOT MAKE MISTAKES!!!! 

 Some of you may say.....well I gave my child up for adoption.  YOU DID NOT GIVE UP- YOU GAVE TO GOD A CHILD THAT IS LOVED!!!  YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!  IF YOU ONLY KNEW HOW SPECIAL THAT IS TO GOD AND TO THE FAMILY THAT IS BLESSED!!!  I pray you know!!

 Some of you may say....Dawn....if you only knew the number of times a day I mess up- I SAY JOIN THE CLUB SISTER!!!!  You may say.....I lack the strength.....I just know I am messing up and letting everyone down.  OH DEAR MOTHER!!!  YOU ARE LOVED BY THE ALMIGHTY GOD!

 Did you hear me?  YOU ARE THE DAUGHTER OF THE KING!  The God of ALL LIFE!  No sweet sister- it was NOT A MISTAKE that you are a mother!  It may be hard.  You may mess up.  You may not cook well or at all.  You may not have the patience of a saint.  You may not be the most creative person.  You may not be wonderful and read a 100 books a day to your kids.  You may lack in a lot of areas in your mind.......BUT LOOK UP!  Look to the ONE WHO CREATED YOU AND YOUR CHILD!

 Maybe......maybe you had to give your child to another family after trying so very very hard to parent them.....and there are not enough oceans for your tears.  SISTER I LOVE YOU!!  YOU ARE MORE AMAZING THAN YOU KNOW!  God created YOU TOO!!!  Don't give up!  God created you perfectly in HIS IMAGE!  You can tell me that none of your children love you anymore or care.  Maybe you don't even know where they are.......I STILL SAY- STAND FIRM!  YOU ARE LOVED!!!!!

 YOU ARE LOVED BY THE KING OF ALL CREATION!  YOU my sister are CHERISHED!  NEVER LET ANYONE- not media, not a blog, not an article somewhere tell you - you are not enough!  That my sister is the lies of the enemy.  The one who steals and destroys!  The one who wants to take you down.  If the enemy can get you to believe that you aren't enough, that you are a failure.........then he has won. 

 Don't let the enemy win!  PRAY!!! ASK FOR HELP!!!  Beg God to show you how to be a good mom!!! Ask others for prayer!  Ask for advice from other godly women.  THEN DO YOUR BEST! 

 If there was ever a time when I thought I was good enough.....to be a mom......of 9 of the most precious children on the planet........Jesus must have come again!  But since that isn't the case- no?  Then I still fall short.....DAILY! 

 Dear MOTHER- you are BEAUTIFUL!  I pray that you will read this and know that GOD HIMSELF has ANOINTED YOU TO DO THE WORK YOU ARE DOING! 

 Maybe you are the mother who isn't a mother yet.....and your heart is hurting....and you think no one can see it.  You feel like you have been put through the blender waiting for a phone call from an agency, from a lawyer, dreaming and hoping.....or praying desperately for a child.  Praying for that little symbol on the stick to say- yes you were chosen for this precious life.  TAKE HEART!  BE ENCOURAGED!!!  Every mother has started somewhere with a dream.  DON'T GIVE UP!  Keep praying, ask for prayer, surround yourself with prayers!  Beg God to show you where your child is!!!  Then seek out what HIS PLANS ARE FOR YOU! 

Whatever you do, and wherever you are- KNOW THIS DEAR MOTHERS - GIVE IT YOUR ALL!  GIVE ALL OF IT TO HIM!  Don't hold back.  Even when it is hard.  For some day- your children will rise up and call you BLESSED!  They will say- THANK YOU!

But- TODAY.......TODAY GOD SAYS THANK YOU!  Thank you for being a willing servant.

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
³⁵ The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail.”
³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

May God's WORD be fulfilled in our lives as MOTHERS!  I pray you are BLESSED THROUGH HIM TODAY!