Its that time of year again when my mom turns another year older and I realize I couldn’t live without this wonderful woman in my life. She is fifty tomorrow and writing a blog about her hardly seems to do her justice but for now its all I can do.
My mom is the true Proverbs 31 woman and each year when her birthday rolls around we all claim this verse as our own.
Proverbs 31:26-31
She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
“Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
This year to honor my mom I want to focus in on verse 28: Her children arise and call her blessed. My mom has been blessed with a hard life, she isn’t one of those tennis moms that you meet that considers a hard day breaking a nail. My mom works hard to keep her family together. Married at 21 she worked hard for her marriage, hard for money, and hard for a family that would one day rise up and call her blessed. As many of you know my mom has been sick since I was two, since my youngest brother was born. The doctors can only tell her that she is has an auto immune disease that is slowly tearing her body apart. She wakes up sick on most days in fact her daily battle is to get out of bed. Through all of this though, my mom has been blessed. Her marriage has been hard, getting married young and fast won”t make for an easy honeymoon and having a baby in your first year of marriage won’t make for an easy newlywed season. Many people told my parents they would never make it but almost thirty years down the road there isn’t a marriage I respect more than my parents. My mom has been blessed. Four kids, most people saw my moms caravan of four kids under the age of six and called her crazy, she called herself lucky. Three boys who loved to jump off things, light things on fire, and sleep outside (ok that was all Taylor but Kristian did love to try on her clothes and Brett wouldnt leave her side) and my mom called her self blessed. One daughter who would terrorize her way through high school and my mom called her self blessed.
By the worlds standards my mom has not been blessed. By the worlds standards my mom has had a hard life full of trials, pain, and heartache but today we all call her blessed. We call her blessed not because of the things she doesn’t have but because of the gifts that God has given her. God has given her a family that would die for her, a husband who will fight to the death for her, and a savior that made it all ok. My mom has been blessed because one day she will live in heaven with no pain and no heartache. My mom has been blessed because she can see past this life and its trails into a time where suffering will cease and praising our heavenly father will never end. My mom has been blessed because she knows this. Tomorrow her health may fail her but I can tell you three things that wont, her children, her husband, and her God.
Praise Jesus.
Caroline - Tindell, reading this truly brings tears to my eyes. Reason #1 because I've been fortunate enough to know your mom the past several years and see these traits you've mentioned. Reason #2 the eloquent way you wrote from your heart with zero pretense. I admire you and your mom for always being 100% genuine. Praise Jesus for the Stanfill (and Baldwin) women.
Brandon - Gotta be thankful for our great moms!
Writingfor5 - Tindell, I love ALL your posts. I cried too, I love this one especially because God has really put such a place in my heart for your mom from the moment I met her. I am so thankful to hear and see your beautiful relationship with her and hope that my girls and I can have a relationship of love, respect and adoration the way you two have. Happy Late birthday Claire. She is blessed to have you as her daughter.
Jennifer - I feel the same way about my mother. She has 6 kids…which doesn't make for a life of ease. But she will tell you that she is so blessed to have each one of us, she is blessed even though she has been through so many trials, through losing babies, and she is blessed because of the Savior.
Thanks so much for this post!
Tindell Baldwin - Im so glad we can all bless our mothers! Thanks for everyones support!
lisa taylor - I really don't have words to write after reading about your MOM, but I do have eyes full of tears and a heart that is about to burst! Thank you for giving us your picture piece of "Claire"……….the amazing godly woman you call your MOM! I hope I get to meet her some day! lisa