a day for mama.

 Despite my countless babysitting experiences and all the hours I spend with my nieces, I still cannot fathom the heighth, breadth and depth of a mother's love and the implications of this most sacrificial vocation.  One day a year hardly seems sufficient to honor our mothers and to properly thank them for all the years they "died to self" in order to put the interests of their children above their own.  I know I will never fully appreciate my dear mother until I am a mother myself (should the Lord purpose me to hold that vocation at some point in my life).

As a small token of our appreciation and to celebrate Mother's Day, Michelle and I treated our mama to a relaxing girl's afternoon.  The guys and kids stayed at home and it was just us girls -- such a rare occurence these days.

We started with brunch at Cavalli's and feasted on their special menu of crab cakes, eggs benedict w/prosciutto and brunch pizza that was loaded with scrambled eggs (don't knock it until you try it), chicken, onions and goat cheese.  Everything was so good and beautiful to boot.  Check out those plates of savory deliciousness.

Once we were sufficiently stuffed with all of the aforementioned goodness, we continued the relaxation with manicures and pedicures.  After completing the arduous process to select the perfect color for our nails, we sat back in our massage chairs and enjoyed every minute of the royal treatment.

While brunch and manis/pedis are nice, they are but a trifle compared to all the sacrifices my mother (and all mothers) make to raise their children.  I wish I could take back all of the snarky comments, the petty pre-teen and teenage arguments, every instance I disrespectfully rolled my eyes or talked back...mom, I am beyond sorry.  I am sorry for the times I failed to love you well and I appreciate your constant grace.

And to all the mothers I know, you amaze me.  To my sister, my cousins and my friends: I am consistenly blown away and in absolute awe by the way you care for your children.  Your love, patience and selfless devotion are a beautiful example to me and I want to encourage you to not "grow weary in doing good" for the Lord will surely honor each and every moment you loved your own above yourself.