SOMEONE I ADMIRE...

Well, shame on me...I missed last week's prompt; just couldn't get the words in my head to come up with "a defining moment" in my life?!

I have been pondering those people that I admire...




So, for this week's Tuesday @ Ten phrase prompt:

Someone I Admire

Throughout the almost 65 years years of my life, there have been many women whom I admired...

Sunday School Teachers who taught us about Jesus and inspired us and...one who disappointed!

A friend and her mother;

Ministers throughout my life;

Close friends I either worked with or attended church with;

Even my own mother, and her mother whom I never met {read about that here.}

Yes, I could write about any - or all - of the above women; and probably many more, if I sat long enough to think about it!

But, today, I want to write about two young women I really admire - and love deeply...

My Two Daughters!

I really love these two girls - young women!  They are six years apart in age; and closer now that both of them are  mothers themselves...



Catherine "Cathy" Marie - married for 15 years to a childhood friend she met while in the 6th grade; mother of two boys...and I might add a very busy stay-at-home-mom of two active boys: an almost 16-years old and a 7-year old!  Both of the boys are active in sports - the oldest plays baseball and also does wrestling through school, but has also played a couple of seasons of football and/or basketball; the youngest is involved in Karate and has just recently started gymnastics.  Keeping up with schedules and practices and games and...yeah, that's pretty admirable in itself!

Cathy is also a great "house-hold manager" that includes grocery shopping, cooking meals, shuffling the schedule to accomodate the boys' activities as well as other family and friend events!  She also keeps up with the finances, budgeting what is needed for expenses, bills, other necessities and some "play" money as well!

Melissa Dawn - married for 10 years to someone she met at church.  She is the mother of three:  a 4-year old "live-wire", a 2-year old and a 1-year old.  She is extremely busy with the little ones; and, since quitting her job as a teacher just before the youngest was born, she is also a stay-at-home mom...but also gives piano lessons several days a week to supplement her "artist" husband's income.  No "outside activities" yet; though the oldest will be starting pre-K next week and may become involved in an after-school program of soccer.

Melissa is also a great "house-hold manager"; but much of her scheduling comes in making sure she has a babysitter when she has piano lessons to give away from home.  She also shuffles the schedules around doctor's appointments, grocery shopping, play dates and other fun (and not so fun) activities.

I enjoy hanging out with my girls and their families...we have fun no matter what we do, even if we are just sitting around letting the kids be together!

My admiration of them is in seeing what great mothers they both are; watching them as they reprimand their children or read to them or try to get their attention away from something they don't need to be getting into.  I see them make time to be there for them; spending time talking or playing or crafting with them...

And I think back to when I was raising these girls as a working-mother.  Fortunately, my husband and I worked opposite hours; so we "tag-teamed" the schedules for taking to school and picking up afterwards, as well as other activities.

As a working mother, I did the best I could.  I juggled the work and school and church and outings for the kids and after-school activities...I did it all!

Many young women juggle work and or school with raising their children.  Many are working single mothers...this is not an unusual situation.

 Yet, I see how well my girls make it work for whatever schedules they have; and at times doing it alone because of their husband's jobs.  And, I admire how they can juggle, and be there for their families, and include fun and sports and vacation and whatever else is needed or wanted for their families.

Perhaps there weren't as many of those "extra activities" when they were growing up; it just seems to be so much more...complicated?  Not sure if that's the word I'm looking for!

But, I'll just let it be that I admire what they do...and I love them for the young women they have become.

Just that...