Dear Mom...a letter of VIRTUE.

Dear Mom, 

"Many people mistake our work for our vocation. Our vocation is the love of Jesus." -Mother Teresa

If there's one thing I have known all my life, if there is one truth I had to bank all my money on or one truth I had to follow to the grave, it would be the following. I was made to be a mom. It's funny you say, for someone who is not a mom to say such a thing. Most days I think it is weird even for me to believe. But I know this one truth for one reason. And it has nothing to do with me, but has everything to do with my mom. 

If I had to tell you about my mom I would describe her as this, loud, over the top, busy and full of love. You know how one word can kind of encompass who a person is, like a brain, or a beauty, a jock, or a social butterfly. Well there is really only one word that captures everything about my mom. And the word is just that; mom. At her very core, my mom is and always has been a mom. 

And a girl raised by a great mom wishes to be nothing else. But more than a wish I have in my heart, I feel like my mom has instilled in me the heart of a mother. She has taught me everything I know. The virtues I hold in my heart, she has shown me. 

She is a mom She has graciously laid down her life for the lives of her kids. She has made sacrifices. She has given her time, and her talent, and her treasure to make us the best human beings possible. 

She is a mom. She has built for us experiences of life. She has let us be hands-on and messy. She has let us break the rules on occasion, when the benefit outweighed the cost. She has laughed with us, played with us, and cried with us. 

She is a mom. She reminds us of our values. She builds in us character. She calls us to love more and serve more. She shares her life with strangers and gives until she can give no more. She leads by example. 

She is a mom. She is human. She admits her mistakes. She reveals her brokenness. She lives for grace. And keeps the faith. 

She is a mom. And every day I have her with me. She is a part of who I am and who I will always be. She makes me feel loved and feel capable of loving more than I think I can. 

You see there is nothing really special about my mom. She is just a mom. But the thing I love about her most, is that she gives the love God has given her to each of us. There is also nothing special about me. There are no great skills I possess or talents I have. I am not really extraordinary. I just know one thing really, my mom has shown me what it takes to love selflessly. She has revealed to me the heart of Christ through the heart of a mother. My mom has taught me how to love with a love so strong, so pure, and so alive that there is no way my heart is capable of loving any less than that. 

I hope one day, I get to hold my sweet baby in my arms and love them the way my mom loves me. I know my heart was made to give like that. I know because I have a mom who has shown me everyday a living example of the heart of a mother who brought life to the world. It is a gift much like the heart of Mary. And a love much like the love of Christ. Having a beautiful mom, created in my heart a longing to be just that, a living vessel by which life and good enters the world. 

My mom is not perfect, and neither am I, but she tries every day to be better and love more. And because of that I'm blessed to be her child. My prayer is that one day soon, my life can be laid down for my own children who will become reflections of God's love in a world full of so many other things. But until then I will soak in every life lesson, piece of wisdom, and beat of love my mom has to share because I know she helps me to discover who I am, not only as her daughter but as a daughter of Christ. 

So today and always, thank you MOM for being you, for loving fully, for following God, for leading by example, and for at the heart of it teaching me the love of God in your love for me as a mother. I hope that one day, soon, you will get to watch me become a mom and see your love first hand in the love I can give to my child. Words will never say enough! But because of you, I'm certain of who God calls me to be! Even though, I will never drive a mini van! Xoxo! 

Love and prayers, 

Danielle