Mother's Day is EVERYDAY

You know how some people believe that holidays like Mother's Day were created by greeting card companies to make money? Well, that may be so, but Mother's Day is one of my favorite holidays. It isn't just about buying your mother a singing card or new plants for her garden or even going to church on that one Sunday. For me, Mother's Day is about celebrating the fact that we have mothers. Mothers are usually the people that we take for granted the most in our lives and they don't even mind. Think about it: when us kids come home from school, who has spent the whole day cleaning or working? Who has dinner ready for us to eat? Who washes our clothes so they'll be clean for us? Mommy. Now, this Mother's Day was very sentimental for my mother and I because it was exactly one year after my mother had seen her grandmother alive for the last time. Honestly, I had forgotten this and I didn't remember until I found my mom crying by herself on the couch. When I saw her, I suddenly felt her pain. I understood why she couldn't hold in her pain any longer. She had lost the only mother she had ever known and it was taking a toll on her. At this point, I finally understood the true meaning of Mother's Day: to tell God "Thank You." Thank You for giving me a mother that would do anything for me and ultimately cares more about my life than her own. So to all the mother's out there, Thank You for doing all that you do.

**Dedicated to my great-grandmother (1912-2010) who died of cancer and my mother. Without her I wouldn't be who I am today. I love you with all my heart Mommy and that will never change.

All That I Have

Why do we go to church? Why is it there? What do we do there? Growing up, I went to church most of the time, but the older I got, the less I went. I would sit in church and see a bunch of people standing and shouting and crying. I sat there wondering why? Why are they doing this? I didn't understand who this "God" person was or why he was so important. Now, don't get me wrong, I knew that God had created me, but I didn't know what the story was behind it. Finally when I was about 12 or 13, my mom and I had stopped going to church althogether. It's not that we didn't want to go, she just didn't have the time between working on the weekends and taking care of me. When I was in the beginning of my sophomore year of high school, my friend started convincing me to go to something called Youth group. I said I'd think about the first couple of times, but she kept asking me. Finally I caved and went to Youth for the first time. When I got there, I met everyone and they seemed like they'd make good friends. Then when it came time for whorship, I was amazed. So many young people had come together to praise God; to praise the person that created this world and brought all of us here. Although I didn't understand it, I could feel that this would be my new place to go on Friday nights.

The more I went to Youth, the more I started to learn about God. I learned why people are they way they are today and what our purpose while we're here on earth. I learned that God can put bad things in your life for the reason to make you stronger. I learned that He is my Holy Savior and that my life is His. I would go to Youth and I would listen to the music and God would talk to me. Sometimes I didn't know he was talking to me and other times, I would sit there and talk with him for two hours. He filled my soul with his love and guidance without my knowledge. I gave God all the love and trust that I could find within myself. But along the way, I realized something: the Lord is my Heavenly Father and I should love him and praise him and talk to him and study scipture and go to church and be the best person that I could be because my actions and soul are a reflection of my Heavenly Father. Now, everyday, whether it be when I wake up or before a tennis match or before I go to sleep I say to myself....

"This is my prayer; it's my solemn vowel, with all that I am and with all that I have, I will love You. I will love You forever."