Dear Mom, I get it now...

Dear Mom,

I get it now…

I get the unfathomable amount of energy you poured into raising six girls. I never truly appreciated what it must have taken to keep up on laundry, keep the house picked up, get us to our activities, keep us clothed, keep home cooked food on the table, and so much more. I get why you asked us to collect the garbage the night before garbage day and why you asked us to sort our laundry into colors and whites. I get why you had us peel the potatoes and help set the table. I get it now.

I get why you wanted us to clean the house before we left on an overnight stay somewhere. I will admit, I thought you were clinically insane and you probably received countless eye rolls from us when you told us to clean our rooms or help you dust before we left. It is so refreshing to walk into a clean house when I arrive home from being away. Getting home from time away is overwhelming enough and I’m always so thankful not to have household chores to do on top of getting unpacked and settled back in. I get it now.

I get how many selfless tasks you completed with no thanks or praise. I can’t even begin to add up the number of times you probably felt so under appreciated and taken advantage of. It actually breaks my heart to think about how little I understood about the sacrifices you made as a mother. I get it now.

I get why you rolled your eyes at dad so much. I am literally laughing out loud as I type this, but I used to think you were so sassy sometimes. Like the times when he would pick on you while you were making supper. Or when he would give you a hard time, making some smart comment that we thought was hilarious, while you rolled your eyes. Now I have a husband of my own. I get it now.

I get why naps were so important. I get why you forced me to go lay down and “rest” my eyes until my little sister fell asleep. It was because you were sitting there in peace and quiet with your fingers (and toes) crossed hoping I would accidentally fall asleep too and you could inch a little closer to sanity before we woke up and tried to push you to your very limits again. I get it now.

I get the truth behind the words, “I can’t even tell you how much I love you.” You can’t. It is a kind of love that genuinely cannot be summed up into words… A kind of love you don’t understand until you become a mother yourself. I get it now.

I get the incredible amount of time you have spent worrying. I know, the Bible tells us not to worry, but a mother's heart has no control over the worry most of the time. I get why you wanted me to check in with you when I arrived somewhere. I get why you asked a million questions about an overnight stay at a friends house. I get why you wanted to protect my heart from pain. I understand why you wouldn’t support me hanging out with certain people who you knew would not be a positive influence on me. I get it now.

Mom, I don’t know where your cape is, but I know you should be wearing one. There are so many things I get now… now that God has blessed me and trusted me with the role of being a mother, I get it… I get it now.

- Kassidy K.