Eeek! My first blog, bear with me!

With Mother's Day right around the corner, I wanted to take some time to reflect on our Moms. Those of us who are so incredibly blessed to still have our Moms here on Earth with us, as time goes on, we realize time is getting shorter and shorter.

When I was young, I didn't have the perfect life, but I am thankful for the life I have had because it has shaped me into who I am. My pain has allowed me to grow and help others who may have experienced some of the same pains in their life. I am no expert, but I will always do what I can to help others feel better, that's part of who God created me to be.

Sorry, I tend to get off track easily (squirrel brain), back to Moms! Even though we had struggles when I was growing up, I had no clue the sacrifices it took to be a Mom. My husband and I waited 7 years to have our first child, so our first child was incredibly planned for. The stars aligned, the baby was due on my brother's birthday and I made the announcement at my Christmas (work) lunch. Fast forward a few days, our pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. Needless to say, this taught me a lesson about a Mother's love for her child. From the moment of conception, a Mother loves, worries and cares for their babies. And let's be honest, the worry, love and care never end! As the book reads, "I love you forever, my baby you'll be", isn't that incredible?

As for our second pregnancy I prepped and prepped. I read every book, took every pregnancy and lactation class, worried about loosing the baby, prayed to God and discovered when they handed me that little 10 lb, dark haired butterball, I was 100% clueless! Thankfully, my mom was there for those 2 am emergency calls about "poop" or "latching on" or any other scary moment I was facing. We have since graduated into scraped knees, falls and now teenage times.

My love for horses came from my mom at a very early age. As long as I can remember I was horse crazy. She saved and got us a horse (against my Dad's wishes). She may have spent a few extra nights on the couch, but I am here to say....totally worth it!! We spent hours and hours together, riding double on ole Mr. Radi's back. We did everything from moonlight rides, to swims in the river, parades and even a round trip from Shell Rock to Waverly (back when Hwy 3 wasn't quite as busy)....we kept it in the ditches though! We had him for 27 years. What an incredible gift! Besides, that's a LOT of chores!

Something my mom always hated was having her picture taken, but over the years, she is getting better about it. I have always told her, "someday you are going to leave this Earth and I, the photographer won't have any pictures of you!". Do you know how much guilt that would leave me with? Moral of the story....take photos of yourselves ladies! Take photos of your Moms! They don't HAVE to be professional, but they are all we have when our it's our loved ones time to go. I always say, children look at their mother's with LOVE. They don't see their flaws, they just see love.

I really don't know how to ever thank my parents, for all of the sacrifices they have made for my family and myself over the years. Some days, they can drive me bonkers, but I wouldn't want anyone else as my Mom or Dad. God knew what He was doing when he made us a family.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Moms out there! May you take time and reflect on how amazing their love and sacrifices are to all of us. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them!

Take care!

XOXO ~ Sara

P.S. As you can see, my Mom did agree to have her picture taken. Isn't she beautiful? Yep, that's all I see when I look at her portrait, love and beauty!!

Photo Credit to my amazingly talented friend, Mariellen Youngdahl at TruBeauty Fine Art Portraiture, Marion, Iowa