5M4M Mother's Day Giveaway

A picture is worth a thousand words...

this picture is titled: Special Delivery!

When I read about the photo giveaway that Five Minutes for Mom is doing for Mother's Day I thought to myself...how in the world could I choose ONE photo to describe how I feel about Motherhood?? I am a 'photo-aholic'...I take pictures by the thousands! :) But I wanted to see if I could do it so I browsed through several of my favorites and came upon this treasure. I knew this was it!

This photo was taken of myself and my daughter, Chloe, the day she got her prosthetic leg. It had been almost 5 months since the accident, 5 months since I had seen her walk...5 very long and painful months of healing and adjustment. But this day was a day of rejoicing! A new start to a new way of life for our sweet daughter. God had spared her life and we were watching His perfect plan for her unfold right before our eyes. The joy we felt filled that small room as we watched Chloe take her "first steps" with the zest for life she has always had in everything she does! Tears filled my eyes as I watched my hero, my daughter tackle the biggest obstacle that she had faced yet...an obstacle you hope your child never has to face at all much less at the young age of 3.

Captured in this still image is the very moment Chloe triumphantly walked to me and landed square in my arms and hugged me...we tightly held each other with a bond that had endured tragedy and knew hope was just around the corner. It was the most bittersweet moment I have ever known and I will never ever forget it.

You see, as a Mother I had always believed that it was my privilege and responsibility to protect and guard my children. As a Mother I had always believed that I had done a good job and that it was always possible to keep my children from all harm. On July 3rd, in an instant my beliefs changed and my view on Motherhood was turned upside down.

Truth is, I cannot keep my children 100% safe 100% of the time...it is impossible. And honestly, that is not the responsibility God has given to me. God knows all...the past, present and the future when He blesses us with our children. He knows the mistakes we'll make, the bad decisions, the times we lose our cool...all of it YET He still entrusts these precious children to our care for a season. All He asks of us as parents is to walk with Him, the perfect example of a Father...to love, care for and raise our children to the best of our ability in His strength and wisdom. He does not expect us to be perfect and to keep anything bad from happening to our children. I am NOT in control, my Father God is the One who is the Blessed Controller of all things. He is the trustworthy One, He is our Protector, He is our Guardian, He is all things at all times. Does that mean that bad things will never happen? No, because we live in a sin-cursed world. Does that mean that God is able to turn nightmares into good? YES! I believe that God did not make the accident happen but He allowed it as a part of His perfect loving plan for my precious child.

Being Alex's and Chloe's Mom has given me a lifetime worth of love, joy and fulfillment. And through this difficult time Chloe has taught me so much about thankfulness and joy! About not complaining and persevering through tough times and determination. She has taught me to slow down and enjoy the simple things in life. She has taught me to smile bigger and to laugh louder and to see the bright side of things. She has taught me to not take life or time or family or friends for granted. She has taught me to give graciously and that a kind and gentle word goes a very long way. And she has taught me to love fully with an open heart even if it means you might feel pain. That is why I call her my HERO...that is why I have chosen this picture to capture all that I feel about being a Mother, it's the only one that came close!