Mother's Day:)

I realize this blog is coming a week late and that Mother's Day was last Sunday. However, it has been a crazy week with little time to do much significant blogging. Yet I couldn't pass up the chance to blog about the experience. I spent Mother's Day here last year as well.....but since I had only been here 4 months at that point I had barely slipped into the "mom" role. The kids had just begun to call me mom and even though there was a definitely connection between this heart and theirs......I was sort of just "playing the role" back then. I mean at that point I had no idea I would be moving there or that any of this would unfold the way it did. Soooo this year was a much different experience for me. This year I no longer just "play the role" of mom....I am one. Through and through I love these kiddos like they are my own and more than that they have truly come to view me momma. All that being said you can imagine how special Mother's Day was for me. I imagine this is how all first time mothers feel when Mother's Day finally begins to apply to them as well. 

Mother's Day is a huge deal here. All of the classes have a celebration, churches order cakes and have special things for the mommas, and everyone acts like it is the biggest day of the year! Last year Karen took care of going to all of their school celebrations. (1. because I spoke VERY little spanish at the time and 2. because I really wasn't "momma" at that point) This year she was busy on the day of the Kindergarten celebration and obviously couldn't be in 3 places at once for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade celebration. Therefore, I got to go alone to the Kinder and then we both went and split the other 3 grades the best we could. It was one of my proudest moments for sure to be treated as one of the mommas. Granted it was almost torturous at times to sit for hours and I do mean HOURS in a spanish speaking ceremony. Yet there is no place I would rather have been. 

The kids were so cute about it. They all were so excited to have me there....especially Marvin. He asked me for days before if I was coming. Then the day before his celebration he probably told me 30 times (literally) what time the celebration was and double checked to make sure I was still going. The morning of we had devo as usual and after the kids got ready to go. Marvin started to walk into his room and came back to remind me that I too needed to go get ready so that I wasn't late. When we finally arrived at school he held my hand and proudly marched me straight into his classroom. He wanted to show me his desk, his seat, his everything! Then before I knew what was happening he had grabbed my hand and marched me up to his teacher where he promptly introduced me as "his mother." Talk about bringing tears to my eyes. I mean the younger kids almost always call me mom but the bigger kids are more reserved and careful with the usage of such a word. He was so happy to have me sitting next to him. There are days when I wonder if they are embarrassed to have "gringa" mommas or if they long to have their real moms sitting next to them for events like that. However, his reaction reminded me that no matter how much he misses his real mom he is always glad that I'm here as a fill in. 

Finally, Mother's Day was really here. I woke up last Sunday to get the kids ready for church. Before I could do much of anything Yovani came in and explained that since it was Mother's Day that they would be taking care of doing everything. He and the other big kids took care of getting everyone dressed, making breakfast, and getting everyone through breakfast.All I had to do was sit and watch. THEN.... As if that wasn't enough they insisted on making me breakfast. Marvin was set on making my chai tea for me and Yovani wasn't going to give up until I agreed to eat something. It was the weakest tea and crispiest toast I've ever had but yet the best of both I could have ever imagined. 

All in all it was an amazing experience to truly be a momma on Mother's Day. I can't think of any title or job I would rather have in this entire world. There is nothing else that could bring me as much joy or contentment as simply filling this role. So to all of you Mothers out there...Happy Mother's Day. (a bit late) I know from experience now how truly hard your job really is....yet how joy filled it is as well.