Marc Estes

Today is one of the most special days of the year. Don’t get me wrong, I love holidays. I enjoy the Christmas season, celebrating the birth of Jesus,  all the presents and special food. I get excited about Easter and celebrating the resurrection of Jesus as my Lord. I look forward to Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day as a chance to spend some extra quality time with the family and fire up the Barbecue. But Mothers Day is just a little different; its personal, special, emotional and touches a part of my heart that no other day does.

Today is the day I stop and remember MY mom. I think about all the incredible things she has done for me, and just how special she truly is. It is a time to give thanks for all she is and what she represents to me and my three sisters, Dawn, Karen and Penny.  Instead of sending her the usual, predicatable and some time cheesy card, I thought I would tell the world about my mom:

My Mom is the Best Ever Because:

• She brought me into this world - She carried me in her womb for nine months and made sure that I was safe, secure and healthy.
• She gave me life – I know my Lord and my natural father had a part as well, but she chose to allow me to live and have a chance at life.
• She provided all my needs – She gave me the most important elements of life to survive and grow.
• She guided and directed my steps -
• She made me eat my vegetables – Whether that was at the dinner table or for breakfast the next morning because she found the napkin where I hid the brussel sprouts.
• She made me do my chores – She made me stick to my responsibilities and made sure they were done to right specifications, even if it meant that the remainder of the weeds I missed ended up in my bed to remind me to never cheat or lie on the job.
• She pushed me to succeed – She always challenged me to get up and get involved in baseball, football and yes, even badminton… wow thanks for that one.
• She led me to the Lord – She brought me to church and showed me just how central God would be to my life.
• She gave me a heart for worship – Even if i was Evie, the Gather Brothers and Jimmy Swaggert’s Worship hour, I still got a heart to worship God.
• She showed me how to have a heart of compassion – I’ll never forget picking up the blind man on the corner who was stranded and brought him home to live with us. When we asked why, she simply stated, “Because that is just what we do.” My home has been filled with people ever since.
• She showed me how to share my faith – I remember being with her and leading my grandparents to Christ in their deathbed and look forward to seeing them when I get to heaven.
• She showed me how to stand strong in adversity – I watched her cry, yet stand strong in the loss of her husband, Bob and then work through life’s most difficult tragedy and learn to live again.
• She helped me to love food – Thanks for this one mom, after all, what is a party without enough food for the entire city.
• She taught me to celebrate and enjoy life – Life is always exciting every day, no dull moments in the Estes home.
• She taught me to live purposeful – I always wondered where I got the need to build a list for the day at 5 a.m. including my days off. Honestly, it really helped!
• She showed me the importance of family – There has always been a deep love for family and it has always been of the utmost importance.
• She has showed me what it means to be raised by the best mom ever!

Mom, as you celebrate this special day, let it be known to the world, the 60 countries and 49 states in America that follow my blog that you are the best. If this day was started only to commemorate you and all you have done, it would be a national holiday worth celebrating. Mom, I love you, and thank God for you. You truly are the best.

Your ONLY Son,

Marc

NOTE: HOW MOTHER’S DAY STARTED – Anna M. Jarvis (1864-1948) first suggested the national observance of an annual day honoring all mothers because she had loved her own mother so dearly. At a memorial service for her mother on May 10, 1908, Miss Jarvis gave a carnation (her mother’s favorite flower) to each person who attended. Within he next few years, the idea of a day to honor mothers gained popularity, and Mother’s Day was observed in a number of large cities in the U.S. On May 9, 1914, by an act of Congress, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. He established the day as a time for “public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.? By then it had become customary to wear white carnations to honor departed mothers and red to honor the living, a custom that continues to this day.