I love May.
It was the first month who’s name I learned to spell. They seem to be harder at both ends of the year and easier in the middle.
It was my Grandma’s middle name (Mae). Miss that lady!
Isn’t there something about April showers bringing May flowers and Mayflowers bringing Pilgrims? Yep. That’s it. I like Pilgrims.
May means spring in Oregon and no going back. Until May, winter is still a maybe.
May Day. I have some fond memories. My first go at it was the best one, mostly because I was in first grade, at my best friends house, and doing something I was sure my parents had never heard the likes of. Turned out they knew all about putting flowers on porches, ringing the bell and hiding in the shrubbery! Wow.
And then there is Mother’s Day. I am blessed with two inspiring mothers. Mine and his. I know, priceless.
The whole month of May is for motherhood. The awareness that I am a mother seems to sink in deeply like warm spring sun. I remember that I have people in my life who are depending on me to nurture them and train them and make memories with them. I remember that they love me “on my very best and very worst of days” and I do the same for them. I remember how much I love being called “mom”. It is like a blessing being bestowed on me. When the sun starts getting hotter in the middle of the summer, I need to remember May.
Motherhood is like a garden that weathers many seasons. If you are a new mother, you might not yet be over the shock that you can be so tired and so in love. So unbelievably in love. If you are a mother with children who are leaving home, you might not yet be over the shock that you could be so tired, so heartsick, so happy (and afraid?), learning to trust God more than you ever have in your life. (I guess you can tell this one is me. *sigh*)
When my oldest was about to graduate high-school, a neighbor called out to me while I was standing on my porch. He said
“How are you feeling about him moving?” “I’m not really done! He’s not where I thought he needed to be by the time he moved! I’ve been agonizing over it for months, then this morning I realized that he is going to have a pastor, teachers, bosses, and eventually a wife who will come into his life to help him mature! He even has GOD to help him! I also remembered how much I have matured since I graduated from high-school and he will too!” was the reply I yelled passionately across the street! My neighbor, a professional counselor, looked at me with a concerned expression and said “Uh-huh!” and quickly took cover inside his house. Yep, true story.
Like me, no matter the end of this garden-of-motherhood you are cultivating at the moment, I’m sure you have grown right along with your children. Grown in patience, joy, and perseverance. Grown in flexibility, resourcefulness and gentleness. Grown in selflessness, kindness and humility. Motherhood might have changed you as much as it has your children. In actuality,
I think Motherhood has and still continually teaches me about the virtue of “patience” 🙂
Forgiveness, towards others and myself!
My favourite virtue I have grown to love in motherhood is contentment. Being able to lead by example and watch my children grow in this area has been a continual blessing.
One of my favorite virtues since becoming a Mom is Forgiveness. I am so incredibly grateful that Jesus has designed little children to be so forgiving in their early years while we as parents strive to become the best parents we can. I have made so many mistakes and acted in ways that were not the most loving in trying to raise my little ones, but they have been so quick to forgive and forget and grow with me. Thank you Jesus for forgiveness.
I’m loving self-control!
Motherhood has made me very aware of my own faults. Before motherhood, I thought I had grown and learned so much, become such a wonderful person. Now, I find myself lacking every day, begging for grace and strength, hoping upon hope that I can fulfill this calling in my life.
Patience, patience, patience! It’s what I’ve developed the most and continue to work on daily!
I think forgiveness, because every day I need it from everyone!! 😉
As a mother, I’ve come to appreciate the importance (and difficulty) of patience, both in myself and my children.
One of the virtues that I have grown to love as a mother is Gentleness. i have learned how to be gentle with handling my children in different situations. I have also learned joy. To find joy in everything that my children do.
The virtue I have grown to love thru parenting my children is patience. I pray for patience each day, God delivers tribulation, which in turn, builds patience!
The virtue I have grown to love in motherhood is Attentiveness.
I’ve learned to stop and just embrace every lil’ ordinary moments bc those are usually the ones that fill my heart with joy and catch me when i’m laying my head down.
-greetings from Staten Island, NY & thank you for this opportunity
I have grown to love the forgiving virtue.
Love this! It’s so true! Kids are such a wonderful teacher in growing in joy for me. I’ve learned to be more joyful and grateful as my kids get older,and not focus on how quick they are getting big! Motherhood is a truly amazing gift! Loving every moment of it.
I have learned to love the virtue of selflessness and perseverance!!
I am always working on patience and trying to control my temper/emotions
Patience is what I work at the most. Sometimes I lose, but it is my ongoing battle.
I just found out about your blog and I love this post. Motherhood is such a blessing and I think a sign of a great mother is that she is willing to make mistakes and sometimes worries about those mistakes. In the end, that is the mother who cares and her children know it- even when she does something “wrong.”
I am learning to be patient and resourceful. Learning.
I have grown to love the virtue of Gentleness. Not only do I love seeing it in my children, but I also appreciate the difference in the reactions of others and myself when words and actions are tempered with Gentleness.
Contentment has been my virtue this month. I am content with what I have.
Favorite virtue is grace. Both for myself and my children. 🙂
The virtue motherhood has required of me- PATIENCE!!! I have prayed more in the last 8 yrs as a mom of 3 boys for patience and God has give me countless opportunities to work on it!! I just wish I’d hurry up and figure it out! LOL!!
Thank you for the encouragement. I sure have grown in patience as a mother. It is also still something I am working on every day.
We’re learning contentment right now and I like how we’ve grown!
I think patience would be the most necessary virtue for a mother. However, on second thought, if you have love (the greatest of these), then you should fall right into place when it comes to patience.
I’m not yet a mom, but I have a mom…a praying mom. I think praying for her family to come into salvation has helped all of us grow in so many ways. And she saw the fruits of her prayers! I like your analogy of the garden-of-motherhood. My mom is perseverant 😉 like flowers that bloom in spite of the cold.
May always reminds me of motherhood. With spring blossoming everywhere. And it makes me reflect that we almost made it through another year. What I want to do better next year on!
I love homeschooling and having a motherday month of crafts!
Just love it!
In motherhood, I have grown to love forgiveness, of others but also being forgiving of myself.
Motherhood has taught me the beauty of honesty combined with love. Honesty from my children. Honesty from me. Honesty as we interact together with the world around us!
I have read so much about what you guys offer and your blogs are always encouraging. Thanks!
Patience
Motherhood is a exercise of every virtue. My children continue to encourage me to look to God’s word to better myself.
I am learning to be much more virtuous in my everyday life! At the moment I am learning to have self control with my actions and be kind with my words. Sometimes life gets hectic and I let the flesh come in and dictate how I act towards my husband and children.
I’ve realized that being helpful doesn’t always take much effort.
Love this post!
I think I have learned a lot of virtues as a mom. I do think learning to be content is the one that I have grown in the most since becoming a mom.
I’m not sure if I’m commenting in the right place, but the rafflecopter link to “the blog” doesn’t seem to be working so I think this is where I’m supposed to be. The best virtue I have learned as a Mom is self-control… That I don’t have to fly off the handle when my children do… well, childish things. Life is more peaceful and lovely for everyone when I learn to take things in stride. =)
I am new to this Mommy role (which I love!) and find more now then ever that I need to work at having better virtues. Like the saying says, “You never know what you are really made of until you are squeezed”. I desire to have a sweetness come out of me!
My children have helped me to cultivate the virtue of JOY. I used to only be able to see the misery in life. I couldn’t find joy if someone ran me over with it. However since having my children no matter how tough things get & they’ve been plenty tough many times over I’m just blessed for them & that just reminds me I have everything to feel Joy over.
My motherhood virtue has been patience….with myself! I’m still learning! Maybe a dash of diligence too for the perfectionist in me who can’t start unless I can finish.
“Patience” is my recurring theme this month. Patience with my boys at the dinner table, patience with my boys whilst we are learning together (home-ed), and patience with my boys when they are not learning to follow the rules (yes, they have “gone on adventures”, a.k.a run away, three times this month). Now if only I could learn to have patience with myself and understand that I too am learning STILL how to be the best Mum I can be.
It is so hard to know how to measure ourselves in motherhood. I am learning to partner with God so that where I fall short, He doesn’t fail and my kids get the up-bringing they need in the end. I’m thankful that it doesn’t all fall on our shoulders. God is with you, Ellie!
Motherhood has certainly helped me to grow in patience, and humility 😉 I pray that by the time my boys are leaving home we have instilled in them the virtues that are so lacking in our world today.
I’m sure your boys will be men of character, It sounds like you are a wonderful mother.
As a mother, I appreciate honesty.
Honesty is priceless! Without it, your don’t have a real relationship and I beleive relationship is the highest purpose for parenting.
I have grown to love being patient and gentle more than the impatient and harsh mom I was for a while. I say for a while because when it was just my daughter, I knew it all and was the best mom ever…or at least I thought. She was just easy and a lot like my personality. Then, I had two boys who are so different from me and I was humbled greatly. Now, I don’t EVER think I’ve got it all together. Hahaha!
Brandy, I appreciate your transformation. It happened to me too, and I think the best mothering comes from moms who have been humbled. At least I hope so!
I think my favorite virtue is patience, as my second child came along 13 years after my first, and was VERY premature, at 25 weeks gestation. Since he was born, I’ve had to learn to slow down to allow him to process things instead of drag him into a rushed frenzy which is my own preferential way of getting things done!! He’s 11 now, and I’m feeling melancholy as I begin to see the man in him!!
Polly, I have three boys ages 15-21 and you are so right to feel somewhat melancholy about him growing up. Once they hit 13 they are almost grown. I love every minite with them.
As a mom, I have definitely begun to value patience. Not just in myself, but in my kids too. I work hard to cultivate patience in myself, especially when it comes to disciplining my children. And I also work to cultivate patience in them, so that life isn’t a constant barrage of demands and screams.
I agree. It is funny how much patience it can take to develope patience, but all worth it!
Through motherhood, I have grown in joy. Even though it is filled with messy days, I have found joy in the gifts that He has given me.
Joy is beautiful, JOYce!
the virtue i have come to love in motherhood is being gentle. i am not gentle by nature, so it is something i have had to LEARN as an adult and mother. but it really makes a huge difference in developing relationships with my kids if i remain gentle!
So true, Angie. I love that your purpose is relationship. That is the best part of motherhood for sure.
The virtue I have most learned to love from motherhood is patience. I love it when my family is patient with me and I am learning to be more patient with them!
I am right there with you, Cara. Patience brings peace!
My favorite motherhood virtue is flexibility. I’ve grown in it over the years and still have some growing to do.
Flexability is HUGE in motherhood!
Just got turned on to your website and love it! I think this is a great idea and hope to able to use this with my kids. My favorite virtue for the month of May is “kindness.”
Kindness is Love in action! Thanks for your comment, Katie.
I have grown to love obedience. Back when I was younger and not even a Christian I looked down on the concept of obedience and saw it as bad like the world tells us it is these days. Now as a Christian and a mother I get it, I see its importance for all of us not just the children ;-).
I so agree, Carla