In writing my post yesterday I read back through all my birthday cards. What do you do with your birthday cards??? I stick them all in a box that goes under the bed never to be read again. Don’t you?
Anyways in my stack of cards was the printed pages Mrs. Charlotte typed out to read when they all went around the room saying what they love about me. I cried re-reading them and I want to cherish those words! So I thought I’d type them up and post them on my blog. That way I know I can easily find what she wrote so I can read it on days when I need a pick-me-up 🙂 I also know that it will be printed in a blog book (someday…whenever I get around to making the dang things…) so I can cherish it forever! MUCH better than having to dig under the bed and through a bunch of shoeboxes full of cards right?
This is one of those posts that’s 100% just for me. 🙂
What do I love about Emily?
Little boys are born every day. Mothers hold their newborn son, knowing that he is the most precious son ever born. She knows that the next 18 years are totally “on her.” As he grows, that Mother’s love grows larger than even imaginable.
That mom knows that she won’t always be the #1 woman in his life and she prays daily for that new #1…whoever God sees fit for her to be. Emily had SO much pressure on her when she came into our lives. She was to be Zach’s wife and she was the first Mrs. Parker of her generation.
Right away it was easy to see that Emily pours everything (sometimes too much!), all of herself, into what she loves. She was so excited to be with us. So, Emily’s passion makes me love her!
She was determined to be the best wife Zach could ever dream of. Her heart is so full of love to be given. She helped me to see how I should have been a better wife – but even more precious is that she loved me enough to help me see that it’s not too late to still be a better wife! So, Emily’s heart makes me love her!
Then came Kye. I will never forget the moment Emily felt that feeling a mother feels when that little boy, the one we only have for 18 years, became her sunshine. She was all smiles from ear to ear but when those nurses brought Kye back from being circumcised she LOST it. She could not hold back the tears.
That loving heart of Emily’s, so filled with love, grew bigger and began being filled with something that a lot of Mother’s don’t have…sacrificial, unconditional LOVE!!! So, Emily’s unconditional love makes me love her – unconditionally!!!
I have only known Emily for a short 8 years but God has known her forever. She is the answer to the prayer. She is the little girl I began praying for the very day Zach was born. Emily’s Christian light shines all around us. Her internet friends prove that. She makes her love of God known. Thank you God – for Emily! So, Emily’s love for God makes me love her.
Emily loves God, Zach, Kye and Britt-Britt. But she also loves Me. She loves Rusty, Courtney, Brad, Colt, Payton, She loves Casey and Jordan. She loves Jolee, Trey, Mema, Little Mama, Big Daddy – she loves ALL of us and all those that are part of us. She loves her family very much, The family she grew up with and the family she grew into. We are so blessed, that God made her for us!!! I am blessed that God sent Emily to be Zach’s #1!!!
We need Emily to know that, we love her! Emily you are worth of that love and more. You deserve it, you deserve all of us to love you!!!
Love, Mrs. Charlotte
I am SO thankful God lead me to Valdosta. I am so thankful for Zach (which you already know from this post!) but I’m also thankful for his our entire family. Especially, though, for Mrs. Charlotte. She really is a true living example of the kind of woman God calls us to be. She gives and gives to others with her entire heart. She IS that phone call you’d make at 2am when you need something and don’t know who to call (and she’ll NEVER complain about it!). We can always count on her and she is the woman I hope to someday be! I remember when we got married we had a roast for our rehearsal dinner (Yes, a ROAST. Why would someone as sensitive as me want to do a roast?!?! Haha) and someone (coughTRAVIScough) said that Zach was marrying a woman just like his mama. As a young bride you don’t really think of that as a compliment but when you’re mother-in-law is Mrs. Charlotte it is the ULTIMATE compliment!!! Sure, there are things she does that I hope to learn from and improve on…but overall I HOPE that people look at me and see her! I hope that I can grow in my walk to get to the level of selflessness that she is at. To be able to love people “in-spite of” (one of her favorite sayings haha) and to constantly “find the good” in others (another Charlotte-ism).
Beyond just being a great example to me, she is also my best friend. We talk on the phone (I know…she is THE only person I actually TALK to on the phone haha) pretty much at least once a day. I love that I can go to her with anything and she is there to listen and that she has my back 100%. She’s also the best person to vent to when needed about my husband. Hello…it’s his mom. She knows him better than anyone since she raised him and is married to his Dad haha! Plus I know nothing I say will make her love for him change and that she will always give the BEST advice on how to handle things in a Christian way.
I love this picture of us from our Blazer days 😉
Her kind words on my birthday and all the effort she put into making my day special really meant a lot to me. We have such similar backgrounds and really understand each other. I am thankful for our bond and that we only continue to grow closer and closer together. I know I’m in a minority of women who actually get along with their mother-in-law and I am so, so blessed to have her!!!
Would you please add Mrs. Charlotte to your prayers??? She doesn’t EVER ask for them and doesn’t ever want us to worry about her (heck, she’s too busy worrying about everyone else to even worry about herself!) but she really does need to be lifted up. As many of you know she has rheumatoid arthritis and it has been getting worse with time. She’s gone through several different medications to try to stop it’s progression and is now starting a new one where she will get infusions each month. She had her first one yesterday and so far there are no negative side effects (praise the Lord!). Will you please pray that this medication will WORK??? She is such an amazing woman and to see her in pain and to watch the progression of her arthritis is truly heart breaking for all of us. The hope is that these infusions will STOP it from getting worse and will help her live her daily life in less pain!!! It could take anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months to know if it’s working so prayers are greatly appreciated during this wait and see period 🙂
Hopefully this will be the last time she starts new meds b/c THIS one will be THE one!!!
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Praying. I have a Mrs. Charlotte in my church with the same thing. she is precious!!!! But I am praying.
Praying. I have a Mrs. Charlotte in my church with the same thing. she is precious!!!! But I am praying.
Well you KNOW I am nuts for Mrs. Charlotte (even though it's super weird to me that you call her that! hahahaha) because she is A LOT like my MIL. A saint!! We are SO lucky and I never ever ever forget that. I teared up big time. I do think it's funny right next to ya'lls pic on my screen is a picture of a girl in underwear. Hahahaha
That is SO super sweet! You are so blessed to have a mother in law who not only loves you, but expresses it so eloquently!
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soooooo sweet! You hit the MIL jackpot, for sure!
I'm with Rach & love Mrs. Charlotte too! What a sweet blessing she is! This made me tear up too….so very sweet!! Sometimes we just need to hear these good things & what people love about us…..her list is very true, and isn't it so nice to be able to read and re-read that? Great reminder to always tell people how much they mean to you! I also love that she said you inspire her to be a better wife- what an incredible compliment.