Unexpected Honor

Well, here I am sharing something I never, ever thought I'd be writing about! And getting more personal than I usually do on the blog. But I couldn't find any way around it, if I wanted to say thank-you and spotlight a great organization. And I do, so here goes!

I was honored by American Mothers as Arizona Young Mother of the Year for 2013! To be honest, I didn't know mothers were still awarded with this honor- wasn't it the stuff of legends or myths? Much to my surprise this organization does still exist and they do a wonderful thing: Honor Mothers! 

I love this explanation of what they do, 

"We have never intended to say that our honored women are perfect, or that they are the best mothers in the state. But we hold them up as an example of mothers who find great joy in what they do. By honoring their accomplishments, and asking them to be our spokespersons, they can be a positive voice in a world that is increasingly dismissing the roles of mothers and fathers and functioning families." Janeen Wright

I do find joy in what I do as a mother. That is mostly because of the example of this great woman - my mom. She is the mother of seven children and you should see the way her face lights up when one of them walk into the room. She has taught me so much about enjoying every stage of life - of my children and my own life, too!

I'm so glad she and my dad were able to be there that night!

My Beautiful Mother

 These are two more women that were honored (there were more, but I didn't get all their pictures.) Mari received Mother of Accomplishment and Judy received Mother of the Year. Did I mention how humbling this was for me to rub shoulders with these wonderful mothers?

From Left: Mari Goodman, Judy Ward, Me

 Here I am feeling very thankful and also, if you look close (ok, please don't) you'll detect some relief. I had just finished the short speech I had been invited to give! Yikes! What could I say about mothering to a room full of fantastic moms? 

Humbled & Happy

 And a word about the man I love. He is a great father and his example teaches me so much. I have been blessed to always have his support. I can say this: he is a man that "gets it" when it comes to understanding how hard it is to be a mom.  

Steve, or  The Love of My Life in case it wasn't obvious!

And finally, for anyone still reading - is the quote I shared in my speech:

"The soul is healed by being with children."  ~Fyodor Dostoyevsky