Mom, you are a gardener.  You garden the lives of your children and many others!  Are you enjoying the gardening or is it drudgery for you?  If it feels more like drudgery than joy, you are giving too much of yourself away.  We are not created to care for others at the expense of our own self-care.  It’s like the old airplane analogy – be sure to put on your own oxygen mask first and “breathe normally” before helping any dependents beside you.

Here are 5 Mother’s Day gifts you can give yourself and those around you:

1 – BREATHE.  Breathe deeply.  Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.  Imagine breathing in the sunshine and breathing out the cobwebs.  Breathe in God’s loving presence and breathe out worry and anxiety.  Do this for just one minute, and you will feel better.  When we slow down out breath, we slow down our emotions, and we can think more rationally.

2 – REMEMBER Who YouAre and Whose You Are.  You are God’s creation and invited to be His child and co-worker.  You are unique and wonderfully created.  Remember a quote by John Mason, “You were born and original, don’t die a copy”.  Live out the unique life that God has given to you.  Affirm it and live it.  Be yourself.

3 – PRAY.  Prayer is the conversational part of your relationship with God, and you are designed to pray.  Apart from prayer, your mind wanders and gets into all kinds of trouble.  God is our source of love, life and wisdom, so pray – knowing that you are never alone and that your perfect Bridegroom is providing for you.  Here are some amazing prayers – the Serenity Prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, and just praying through life as you go.

4 – PRIORITIZE Self Care.  Eat – yes; Sleep – yes; Exercise – yes.  Be actively engaged with positive people, places and things.  Practice living mindfully in the precious present moment.  Work through your feelings, attitudes and behaviors (your FAByoulous treasures).  Make wise mind decisions through FAB prayer journaling.

5 – TRUST God with the “O” zone.  We care…but we cannot control Others, Outcomes and Old Stuff.  Remember that the “O” zone is ultimately not in your healthy realm of control.  So pray about the “O” zone: assist as you can, but let go of being a superhero.  Remember, we already have a Savior!   We often need to let go and just support whatever good work is going on.  Remember, we can only do our part.

Romans 12:18: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”