Ode to My Mom

I don't think I could use just one word to describe my Mom, but if I had a whole list to choose from, my answers might look a little something like this...
Loving, Caring, Affectionite, Christian, Giving, Friend, Intelligent, Beautiful, Kind...the list would forever go on. My Mom is my hero, someone I have always looked up and admired. I can't thank her enough for all she has done in my life. She has seen me through life's up and downs. I would not be the woman I am today without her. She has seen me through heartaches and disappointments. She has been there through all the glorious occasions in my life. My Mom is an inspiration to all she comes in contact with, but especially me. I am so grateful and thankful that God choose her to be my Mother, I could not have asked for better. I am thankful to have been raised in a loving and Christian home. My Mom taught me and instilled upon the true meaning of life. She showed me what it means to love and I can only hope that I can show my son as much love and care. My Mom and I have always been close and I am so grateful that I can pick up the phone and tell her exactly how my day is going. Not too many people can say they have that kind of relationship. I know our time here on Earth is short lived, so it is my prayer that my Mom knows how much she means to me and how much she is loved and appreciated. I cannot thank her enough for all the things she has done in my life. It does not matter how many times I may disappoint or let her down, at the end of the day, she will always be my biggest fan.
When I was younger I remember her coming into my room and singing songs, but the one that sticks out the most in my mind is "You are My Sunshine." I often sing this to my son and when I do and I am taken back to those youthful nights.I hope she knows every time I hear this song that I think of her and all those nights she came into my room and tucked me in. This is something I will never forget and I hope my son will always remember this to. There are also specials moments and occasions that I hold very near and dear to my heart. I remember when I was still living at home and waking up at 3 in the morning just to go outside and stand in the driveway with my Mom and watch a meteor shower. It was like nothing I have ever seen and it is a little something special that I got to do with my Mom and something that I will ALWAYS remember. My Mom is not always perfect, and yes we do have our moments, but I will always love her no matter what. I wouldn't trade having Laura Dulin as my Mom for anything in the world. I only hope that others can see how much she means to me, for I am truly blessed! Thank you God for trusting her to raise me and take care of me here on Earth. She definitely deserves an A+.
Mom...if you are reading this, then please know that I love you VERY much and I am so very grateful that I get to call you my Mother. You are appreciated and I am sorry for the times that I take all you have done forgranted. I hope that you can forgive me. My only hope is that I can be half the mother to James that you have been to me. I love you!
-Dallas-

Feeling of self-worth...what does this mean to you? Was is your purpose in life? So many times I have asked myself these very questions. There are days when I struggle with who I am as a person and what my sole purpose in life is? Today I received an email from a person very near and dear to me. I could tell this person was hurting. She had lost her feeling of self worth and purpose. I think everyone goes through this at least one point in their life. You feel unappreciated or unloved, sometimes you may even feel unwanted by anyone. We lose sight of who we are and what we mean to others. We get wrapped up in titles and find ourself asking those very questions. After losing a job that I had worked at for over three years, I too found myself asking these very questions. I forgot who I was. I was so focused on asking "why" that I lost sight of God's plan and purpose for my life. I felt so alone and scared. I lost sight of who Dallas was.
I know there are many people out there right now feeling unappreciated and trying so hard to figure out their true purpose in life. So you may not have all the answers, it doesn't mean you are any less valuable. We were all created in God's image, thats how valuable you are. God didn't say oh there is Dallas, I will just put her on this Earth to clean and cook. We are all loved and wanted in God's eyes. Sure there are days when I feel unappreciated. I have my moments just like any other human on Earth. I have found myself asking...okay is this it? Is this all I have to offer? I am now 30 years old and thought I would have accomplished so much more by now. I struggle with this. I find myself using titles, like wife, mother and nanny. I have to remind myself that I am so much more then this. A few weeks ago I was at work cleaning like I do on a daily basis and was thinking..."is this really it?" "Is my sole purpose in life to go to work every day as a nanny?" I say things don't happen by chance and this is just one of many reasons why. In the moment when I was only thinking of myself, I received a phone call from my sister in law. We got to talking and she told me about a lady she had met that day. She found her on One's Man Junk. This lady was looking for a microwave and it just so happened that my sister in law was looking to sale hers. She has gone to drop off the microwave and found out that this lady was now caring for 11 children in her household. Only two of the eleven were hers. She had taken them in b/c the childrens parents had both lost their jobs and now they were losing their house. This lady is a stay at home Mom and her husband works for Papa Johns. I am no genius, but I am guessing this job does not pay much. Yet, they were willing to take in 9 children, give them food and clothes and most of all love. In that moment I thought about how selfesh I was being. Here I am wondering is this all life has to offer when people are much worse off then I. I am blessed to have a job, food to put in my mouth, clothes to dress myself, and a roof over my head. What do I have to complain about?
I try to remind myself of this when those wondering thoughts seem to pop into my head. Overall I do know that God has a plan for me. I am a work in progress. In Gods eyes I know I am appreciated and loved and always wanted. I know this is hard to explain to those that don't believe. I just say look at the things around you. Do you think this all happened by chance? Some people even say how can you believe in someone or something you can't even see? My answer to that...Can you see the wind? No,but you can see the effects of it. Just like I see the effects of God on a daily basis. If you have been feeling unappreciated or unloved or have even lost your feeling of self worth...just know that you are loved and appreciated and wanted. You are loved, wanted and appreciated by the one who made you. That person is God.