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>> You'll find links to our worship services, Bible study options, online giving, and our new podcast, Anchor Point. You can also download our church app. Just search for "First Colony Church of Christ" in the App Store or on Google Play. Every link is there. The app is a great resource where you can stay connected to First Colony Church. 

Anchor Point is our new podcast. We are posting a new episode every weekday. In addition to finding our podcast on our website and the church app, you can find it across all podcasting platforms. Our Children's Ministry is posting a weekly kids online Bible lesson. Be sure to check that out. And our Student Ministry is creating lots of daily content on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. Be sure to follow them. Thank you for joining us online today. We are glad you're here.

>> Thank you for joining us online today. We want to let you know about a few items of interest. First, go to our website, firstcolonychurch.org and go there often. We have a unique page dedicated to resources for you during this season. You'll find links to our worship services, Bible study options, online giving, and our new podcast, Anchor Point. You can also download our church app. Just search for "First Colony Church of Christ" in the App Store or on Google Play. Every link is there. The app is a great resource where you can stay connected to First Colony Church.

Anchor Point is our new podcast. We are posting a new episode every weekday. In addition to finding our podcast on our website and the church app, you can find it across all podcasting platforms. Our children's Ministry is posting a weekly online kids Bible lesson. Be sure to check that out. And our Student Ministry is creating a lot of content on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. Be sure to follow them. Thank you for joining us online today. We are glad you're here.

>> Ronnie: Good morning, everyone, and welcome to this live worship experience from the First Colony Church of Christ in Sugar Land, Texas. Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

And this morning, in our worship time, we will certainly do that. We will worship and honor our great and good, Living God. We will also pay our respects to Mom. The Bible says give honor to whom honor is due, and we believe Mom is due a lot of honor and respect.

And so wherever you may be and however comfortably you may be dressed, we're glad that you're worshiping with us today; and embrace this time; and remember, the Bible promises that God inhabits the praises of His people.

("Everlasting God" playing)

>> Richard: God is faithful! We want to do a new song this morning because we believe our God can make a way in any circumstance.

("Way Maker" playing)

>> Richard: That is who You Are!

("That is who You Are" playing)

>> Richard: We want to welcome our Children's Minister, Joel Smith, at this time.

>> Joel: Hello and happy Mother's Day to you all. I have a cool illustration here. Picture yourself as a child and you want to do something special for your mom. So you go to the dollar store -- because you only have a dollar -- and you walk up and down the aisles and you're looking for something perfect. And turns out you can't get a whole lot for a dollar at the dollar store, but you decide on a gift bag. A gift bag is really cool because, you know, you can put something inside of it. I don't know if you guys can see inside -- bada boom, bada bing. Pretty cool.

A gift bag is pretty cool. You get it home and you're like, "Yes! I got Mom the perfect gift!" and you're looking inside and you're like, "Oh, I need to put something inside." You're sitting at your dining room table, trying to think, "What can I put inside my gift bag?"

You look across the table there and there is a pile of your laundry in a basket that your mom asked you to put away a while ago. And you think to yourself, "You know what? Maybe if I listen to my mom and I learned from her, that's like a gift." You know, "When she tells me, don't dump the laundry upstairs in your room but take the basket upstairs, open and close the drawers, take the dirty clothes and put them in the basket and take them back downstairs," that's a learning thing. And moms are constantly teaching us different things that if we listen we can learn from her.

And what's amazing is that our little box or our little container of nothing actually contains something pretty incredible when we desire to learn of our moms. 

Now, that was cool. You're like, "Dude. Do you see anything inside of there? I don't see anything inside of there. Can we do it again?"

Wouldn't it be cool to do it again?

So you think about it and it's like, “Okay, what is something that Mom has asked me to do? She has asked me to be gentle. Don't hit your brother or sister. Gentle. Gentle. Take your power and put it under control.” And so we can give our mom the gift of being gentle, being kind, treating other people with care. 

And what's so cool is that there's even more in there. It just keeps going. Wouldn't it be cool if we could do it one more time? What do you think? Do you think we could do it one more time? Let's try one more time. All right. So we want to learn from our mom. We want to be gentle.

And another thing that our moms are incredible examples in is the fact they are sacrificial. They're humble. They put others ahead of themselves. You know, when you're a kid, the very first thing that happens is you're aware of yourself. As you get older, you become others-aware; but you have a choice. You have a choice whether or not you can put others ahead of yourself or whether or not you can put yourself ahead of everyone else. Looks like my boxes will hang in there for just a moment.

Now, you say, "Okay, Joel, that's cool and all, but this is actually church. What is the message for us?" Well, the thing is that Jesus is desiring a few things from us -- number one, that we turn and follow Him; and number two, we would be His friend and learn of Him. Did you know in Matthew 11:29, Jesus says, "Come and take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle and humble."

Boys and girls, moms and dads, the ways that we overflow Jesus is hang out with Him, become more and more like Him; and you will bless your mom and everyone else. Thank you very much and happy Mother's Day.

>> Richard: We will take a few minutes to focus on communion. So if you need to get your elements, this is a great time to start doing that.

>> Billy: Good morning, First Colony, and happy Mother's Day. My name is Billy Granville and my lovely wife from everyone. We're so glad to celebrate the Lord's Supper. Please pray over the bread, which represents the body of Christ; and over the cup that represents the blood of Jesus poured out for the forgiveness of our sins.

Heavenly Father, we just come before You as a spiritual family and we give You thanks. We remember the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We also reflect at this moment on the words of the apostle Paul. He said that God has not given us a spirit of fear but a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. So Lord, as we just press through these challenging and uncertain times, Lord, we ask that You give us grace; that we would not become seduced; that we would not become intoxicated and consumed with the things of this world: the spirit of fear; the narratives of media; the toxic culture of social media; among other things. 

But Lord, we beg You that You would fill us afresh with Your Spirit, Your power; and we also ask You, Lord, to help us to refocus on the Word of God and we embrace the prayers of David in the Psalms; that You would create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit within us. May the words of our mouth and the meditation of our heart be pleasing and acceptable to You. Amen. Let us partake together. Amen.

>> Gretchen: Today I will be leading a responsive reading from Hebrews 9:11-14. I would like you to respond right where you are and participate with us as we read God's Word together. The Scripture will be on the screen so that you can follow.

Where it says "leader," I will be reading. Where it says "all," we can all read together.

(Reading)

("This I Believe (The Creed)" playing)

>> Shane: Well, good morning again, everyone; and, yes, to the moms, the grandmas, all the ladies who have poured into our lives, happy Mother's Day and just thank you for who you are and what you have done in our lives. We think of that not just today but all the time so thank you.

As we take our offering today, we just want to thank everyone. Thank you for your investment in the ministry of this church, and we invite you to continue to partner with us in faith-filled giving because our offerings make a difference for Jesus and His mission in this world as they fuel our ministries all over the world. So thank you for giving. We also want you to know that giving online is safe and secure. It's simple to set up. You can click the link on your screen now and can even text to give so, again, thanks.

Would you please pray with me now over today's offering? We thank You, God, for these offerings. May all that we give be used to expand Your kingdom and Your mission in this world. God, we ask You help us to grow as Jesus' followers. Help us to be givers in every sense of the world: to give our time; our treasure, our talents; all that we have to a cause greater than ourselves; to Your cause; mission; and whatever way You lead us to serve and to give this week.

We pray this in Jesus' Name. Amen.

("Every Giant Will Fall" playing)

>> Well, it's finally happened. You've moved out. You're on your own. Congratulations! But everyone still needs a little help sometimes.

>> Mom, have you seen my wallet?

>> It's in your back pocket.

>> I checked there.

>> Your other back pocket, dear.

>> Ah. Thanks, Mom.

>> Introducing the Mom personal assistant, the only smart speaker device with all the wisdom, caring, and sage advice of a mother.

>> Mom, please call Brad.

>> Honey, I'm just not sure he's right for you.

>> Just call him.

>> Okay. Calling Ryan.

>> No! Mom, I said, call Brad!

>> (Whispering) Trust me!

>> The Mom P.A. always has your best interest in mind.

>> Wish me luck, Mom. Big interview.

>> Did you eat breakfast? Is that what you're wearing?

>> What?

>> Did you even shower?

>> She's there to provide a helping hand whenever you need it.

>> Set a timer for 40 minutes. Mom?

>> The Mom personal assistant won't function until you say the magic word.

>> Oh. Right. Mom, please set a timer for 40 minutes.

>> Sure thing, hon; but it's only 30 minutes for that dish.

>> The Mom P.A. is always correct and basically knows everything.

>> What setting should I use?

>> Should I color my hair?

>> Mom, can you please order mac and cheese?

>> You still have two boxes.

>> No, we're out.

>> Did you look?

>> Yeah. I just looked. It's gone.

>> Do you want me to look?

>> No. It's okay. I'll go look again.

>> Try looking with your eyes this time.

>> Based on God's perfect design, the Mom personal assistant is thoughtful, kind, encouraging, and supportive.

>> You are beautiful. It's okay. You're gonna get through this. I am SO proud of you. You can change the world. But right now, hon, you really need to change your Socks because they smell like a dumpster.

>> Oh, Mom!

>> The Mom personal assistant: always helpful, always reliable, and always there for you.

>> Ronnie: Again, good morning, everyone. Happy Mother's Day. My name is Ronnie, and welcome from the First Colony Church of Christ here in Sugarland, Texas. My wife Martha says that if marriage does not rid you of selfishness, then motherhood will slap the rest of it out of your for sure. It is that sacrificial spirit -- giving up so much of herself for our benefit -- that endears us to Mom. It's been said that sacrifice is giving up something you love for something you love more; and in terms of motherhood and parenthood, sacrifice is giving up something you love for someone that you love even more.

To be a mom is to have a call from God to minister to a specific child, to specific children; and it may not at times seem glamorous and may not lead you to game and your kids may not become famous. Over 40 years ago, Francis Schaeffer wrote a book called "No Little People, No Little Places." In other words, from God's point of view, there are no small assignments, no insignificant assignments because there are no unimportant people; no unimportant places; no unimportant child.

I'm 62 years old. My mom has been in heaven for several years, but I still honor my mom on Mother's Day and, really, every day. I honor the mothering influence of my wife Martha and the lives of our children and grandchildren; honoring the mothering influence of my daughter Mary Beth, my daughter-in-law Catherine; to our other family members; and you. I honor your influence as well.

You know, the book of Proverbs says, Proverbs chapter 31, asks this rhetorical question.

In other words, don't assume that if you're surrounded by some very, very impressive women in your life they just grow on trees; they do not grow on trees.

And a woman of noble character who can find? She is worth more than riches. Charm is deceptive.

So the Bible says where do you find these women of noble character? Well, they can be found. You'll find them in the marketplace. You'll certainly find them at home, in the church, in the community; bringing their skills, creativity, and intelligence to the table to whatever platform they might have, shining a spotlight on the grace and truth of Jesus Christ.

Well, this morning, I have three moms who are helping me in this message. These three moms are in different stations in life. I'm going to start with Laura Wright and then we'll go to Kelly Smith, and then we'll finish today with Helen Bryan.

Laura is a mom with four young children but Laura is savvy and wise, and you are going to appreciate -- I think you will be inspired -- by what Laura has to say. 

>> Laura: Hey, happy Mother's Day! If I could encourage other moms on this day, I would encourage you from the place where I have felt the most discouraged as a mom; and that place is -- I get here almost every day -- recognizing the things I do wrong and just feeling like a failure as a mom. You know, I look around and I see the messy house and I see the times that I yelled at a kid when I should have listened. And I feel responsible and burdened for training these kids; and it's just so much. And I, all the time, am seeing the good I should be doing that I'm not doing.

And that can feel so heavy and so crushing. And especially on Mother's Day when people are saying, "Oh, happy Mother's Day! You're doing a great job! You're doing all these awesome things." Sometimes I just feel that inside like, "Oh, if you only knew all the things I'm not doing and all the things I should be doing that I don't do well." And that is just where, boy, day after day, week after week, year after year as a parent -- that is where I feel that this is the hardest; and I feel the most discouraged. Will I ever get this right? Will I ever learn? I don't think so.

And so I'm sure I'm not the only mom that feels this every day but also on Mother's Day and so it is to myself and it is to other moms who are feeling discouraged by your failures, by your mistakes; that I offer this encouragement, and it is this: our failures are actually our greatest opportunities to teach our kids about God, who is their real parent. And so instead of these failures just kind of mounting and mounting and feeling awful, I can repent to my kids and then use that to show them the difference between God and me, a fallen human.

So when I'm feeling this joy, knowing that I don't have to be everything to my kids, then I can repent to them and I can say, "James, I'm so sorry I yelled at you again. I should have listened to you. I was angry. I was selfish. Oh, man, I am so glad God has grace for both of us. I need Jesus just the way you need Jesus." Man. And the fact that I can do that instead of just despairing by the wayside that I fail and fail and fail, it's good news to me.

So as funny as it sounds, my best encouragement for other moms on Mother's Day is, "Hey, the good news is we don't have to be perfect in this because God is really the One who loves our kids the best; who will take care of them; who will be faithful; who will never leave them. He is the one that is really going to parent them, even to mother them." I especially think of that on Mother's Day, better than I will. That helps me relax as a mom because if it was really up to me, that would be terrifying, right? But it's not. So I can enjoy my kids and I can enjoy Mother's Day, knowing that God has got these kids and that my failures and my mistakes are the things that I can use, my greatest tools, to point my kids to God.

>> Ronnie: Thank you so very, very much, Laura Wright. That is just so profound and wise and I appreciate her reminder that even our failures are opportunities to teach our children about God and about who we are, our own nature; that I need Jesus just like you need Jesus. As an adult, I need Jesus just like you as a child need Jesus. And I need to learn; I need to apologize, too. I need to confess, too. Even as an adult, even as a parent, I don't always get it right. I can try to make it right but don't always get it right the first time. And every mom, dad, all of us, need grace -- grace allows us to try again and the power of the Holy Spirit; grace that allows us to ask for help when we know that we need extra wisdom and patience, grace that reminds us we are not alone. Whatever the assignment, the Lord is with us.

Okay, the next mom to help is a long-time friend of mine, Kelly Smith. Her husband Tim is one of our elders, and Kelly is just a delightful, fun person. I describe her -- she is sassy, but she is just so much fun and full of in-depth wisdom. And just like Laura, inspired us with what she had to say. You will be blessed also by Kelly Smith.

>> Kelly: Psalm 127:3 said children are heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him. As I think today about motherhood, I'm reminded again it is a very high and noble calling. I want to say today that those of you who are moms that you have a very, very important job; and while some of the routine tasks seem mundane and repetitive, they are very valuable. God has not given you busy work, and there are no trivial tasks in His kingdom. Everything you do is significant. The God of the universe sees you and delights in you as you raise your kids.

One way I like to describe the importance of this calling is by saying that as a mother, raising your children, you're actually raising the next generation of the church. The Great Commission calls all of us to make disciples; but as a mom, your disciple-making begins in your own home. You are raising disciples who will tell the world that Jesus loves them and that He came to reconcile them with God.

Moms, there are so many distractions out there, and worldly pressures invade our lives and sometimes we struggle with what things we should impart to our children. But I think it would really do us good to prioritize this one thing, and that is to teach our kids to know God and to make Him known to others.

God is loving. God is patient. God is forgiving. And as we teach our children to love God and to share His characteristics with others, we see that our work here does not only have earthly significance, it actually has eternal significance as well. Keeping this in mind will help us to narrow our focus and to remember when things get busy in our daily lives that our priority is to equip our kids to love the Lord.

I want to encourage you with this truth where God calls you, God will equip you. The same God that blessed you with your children will give you what you need to raise them. He will give you wisdom and He will give you strength. He will definitely be your ever-present help.

I have heard the saying "Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to go around with your heart outside of your body." I don't know who that saying is attributed to but I know it is very, very true. Praise God He will never leave us on our mothering journey and He has promised to give us what we need.

This print hangs on the wall in my home, between our kids' rooms, and 3 John verse 4.

Our children are going to bring us joy in many, many ways, but the greatest joy we will know related to our children is to know that they are walking with the Lord; that they are life-long disciples of Jesus Christ. And moms, this is a really important verse for us because it simplifies our focus. It reminds us what really matters and reminds us when we are overwhelmed that we can regroup our priorities; we can tune out the noise from the culture; and we can go back to the very thing that is essential, and that is to teach our kids to know God and to make Him known. Moms, may God bless you on your journey and in your work. It is vital. It is essential. And it is valuable in the kingdom of God. Happy Mother's Day.

>> Ronnie: Fantastic. Kelly, thank you so very, very much. You know, Proverbs chapter 1 says this: one more time. Do not neglect your mother's instruction. And what you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck.

In other words, we don't just learn about life naturally. It's not just through osmosis. We have to learn just about everything from the most basic skills of walking and talking and eating and learning how to swim to the moral actions of courtesy and gratitude and respect to the spiritual traits of faith, hope, love, holiness. We learn this, hopefully, from the family. The family is God's basic school for instructing children and how to live in this world.

This statement from Proverbs says, if you will pay attention to your mom -- it's like a crown of honor. It's like a gold chain. It's like an Olympic gold medal. 

You go through life and somebody says, "How did you get so wise?"

"I listened to Mom. I just actually paid attention to what Mom and Dad were teaching me."

You will do yourself a favor if you're surrounded -- if you're blessed -- by a godly mom to pay attention and listen. It will be like a gold medal you will wear through your life as you embrace what your mom has to say.

Let me ask you something: am I speaking to somebody today and you've wandered away from the wise teachings and instruction and role modeling set before you by a Godly mom or Godly dad? Is it time to go back to their wisdom and reembrace again the faith of your youth?

You know, we don't necessarily follow Jesus just because Mom said so. But many of us were inaugurated on our faith journey because it was a mom who introduced us in a very real, genuine, authentic way to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Okay, our third mom today by way of video is Helen Bryan, and you wonder -- have I ever met a saint? She is as a follower of Jesus. She is innocent as a dove but wise as a serpent. You know, I love and respect Laura. I love and respect Kelly. I love and respect Helen. She is a treasure to all who know her. Listen to what she has to say.

>> Helen: I'm Helen Bryan, and I have some encouraging words that I know all of you already know. But the first one is "pray." I have three, three different points I'm going to make with pray for wisdom.

An old song I love is "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." All our sins it grieves to bear. What a privilege it is to carry everything to God in prayer.

That is what I want to emphasize, pray about everything. We're almost going into our third month of this quarantine, and it's been tough for many of you; and all through my life, there's been hard times that I felt like "poor me." I mean, I have this self-pity where I get down and at times I love to go outside and just take a breath of fresh air. I know God is in the house, but also I feel like looking up and saying, "God, You're in control. I know You're gonna take care of me."

And start counting the blessings around you that -- the rain last night -- and take a breath of fresh air, kick the devil out, say, "I don't want the devil around me, but I know the Bible says he's going to be around us like a roaring lion." So look up and relax and unwind.

Be thankful you are the mom of these children. God has placed you here for such a time as this, and God loves you. He's going to take care of you, and I know I'm very honored that I'm the mom of Don Jr., Micah, and Brad. I'm thankful for that. They're adults now, and they no longer want me to tell them what to do, but at times I still want to tell them what to do. But I think right now you're in a place as a young mom that you have this opportunity to guide these children.

And God said, "Children are reward the Lord has given you these children as a reward. This child is your reward. So compliment your children every day. Find something good to tell each one of them that you're thankful for them."

And then let God talk to you. Pray and let God do the talking. When you get in your 80s, you need help -- and I have some Scriptures on the back that help me -- but you can write down your favorite Scriptures and keep them on little cards around your house.

One favorite of mine is, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." This is Proverbs 3 and this whole chapter is really good. Proverbs has lots in it. Also Galatians has fruit of the spirit -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians starts with G-A-L. This gal needs the fruit of the spirit. Romans 12 is great, the whole chapter of code of living. God is my refuge, strength and present help in trouble. Be still and know that I am God. Know that I am God. I am God. I'm in control.

And then Ronnie Sunday said, Jesus is worthy to be at the center, not at the periphery; but at the center so keep Jesus at the center. This Bible has everything you need to know. Keep close to God's Word.

Okay. Pray. God's Word. And then have some positive thinking. This week I saw on the Internet Methodist Hospital had an article about heart treasure map. Let your kids draw a heart, get some paper. They can draw a heart. Then you can draw lines to make them map. When you have this, fill it in or let your children fill it in, too, with their favorite things such as Jesus, of course, at the center -- not at the periphery. When we practice positive thinking, this article said, our brain makes connections that support further positivity. We see the world in a more optimistic way. Each day, spend some time being grateful. When you feel down, remember all the positive things in your life. This is this day the Lord has made. We will be glad and rejoice in it.

>> Ronnie: Thank you, Helen. Thank you, Kelly. Thank you, Laura. What those three moms have in common is they are servants of the Most High God and we share that fellowship. Let me just remind you today to not limit our great God. He is awesome; He's omnipotent; He is majestic; He is powerful; and He cares about you.

Do not place limits on God, what He CAN do for us; what He WILL do for us. Let the only limit what God declares by His own purposes by His own good will and not limit God through our puny human logic or unbelief. God may decide not to do something for you. God may decide not to do something for us, but we need to let that be His decision and not our flesh decision. As we face obstacles and problems and blockades and you wonder, "I don't see how the Lord can make a way through this." 

Well, don't you sit around and decide FOR God what He can and do not do. Don't you do that.

This is how we unlock great blessings. WE don't limit God; we trust Him; and we invite Him. And we take the limits off. No, I'm not saying if we take the limits off God will just do whatever we want; I didn't say that. But sometimes God will not do what we want because it's best that He not. But we need to let Him make that decision. Don't you make that decision.

You just say, "Lord, here am I. Here I am. Here's my situation. Lord, I am asking and bringing this before You, but I'm not going to limit You through my own understanding; through my own puny logic and unbelief. Lord, it's in Your lap; and You are almighty, omnipotent, awesome, great, majestic, and You are the God for whom the impossible does not exist."

Again, happy Mother's Day and to all of you, I hope this is a day where your faith is rekindled. Now, we've got a couple of things for you. First of all, I want to point you to a study booklet that is called "First Conversations." You can go to our website, to our online resources, and is a do-it-yourself Bible study. I mean, it's fine to do with groups. There are four chapters there and is a fantastic way to build your faith, to grow your faith, to reignite your faith.

We also have two new Connection groups, two new small groups that are starting. These are virtual groups. You may live here locally or be in another state or country; but if you would like to participate in one of these virtual groups, again, on our website, go to our online resources; and you'll see a link to Connection groups. We would love for you to participate.

Moms, take good care of yourselves. Remember, put your own oxygen mask on first and engage in a little self-care and self-compassion because when you're doing well, the rippling effects to all of us, it's really, really important. We love you. We care. We respect you.

And everyone, when you're younger, honor your mother and your father. Obey with a great spirit and will go well with you. As you age, show your mom plenty of respect; and as she ages, you make sure she knows, "Mom, I'm there for you. It's my honor and joy to provide for you and protect you and to care for you all the days of your life."

Everyone, thank you for being with us today. Let's close in prayer and then after the prayer, stay with us for one more video that honors mom.

Lord God, we praise You and thank You for the gift of mothers and motherly figures who love and care for us as we grow in this world. We're grateful for birthmothers; adoptive mothers; stepmothers; grandmothers; and other motherly figures who bless our lives in so many ways. 

I pray this day they would feel loved, appreciated, and blessed. Lord, may we -- as they have pointed us to You, may we heed their instruction and wear it like a gold medal around our necks, knowing that their faith as is passed along will bless us and lead us in good ways. I ask, Lord, You might pour out Your love, mercy, and grace on every family; and where there is brokenness, will be healing; and hear the prayers today of mothers in desperate circumstances who cry out for the welfare of their children. May Your peace that passes understanding unfold every person who is with us today online. We pray this in the Name of Jesus, who wins. Amen. 

>> For the moms who raised us up, gave us hope, and made us strong. For the young moms who became moms sooner than expected and gave it all they had. For the single moms who had to figure out how to do this on their own. For those who never got called "Mom" but who cared for us all like a mom would. For the hurting moms who've loved and lost but never given up. For the praying moms who don't always know what to do but always know who to talk to. For the working moms, stay-home moms, the cooking moms, and the take-out moms, for taking care of us when you barely had enough time to take care of yourself. For teaching us how to walk and how to make a difference. For the late-night snuggles and the early morning pancakes. For sitting with us after our first breakup, for lifting us up when others put us down. For the rides, the meals, the laundry, and the birthday parties. For the years, tears, laughter, and love. It's not enough but we want to say thank you. Thank you for doing for us what we could never do for ourselves. We love you. We honor you. We remember you. We thank you.