Momma D

Since this weekend is Mother's Day, I figured that I would tell you some of the wonderful things about my mother that I am thankful for. My mother, Marilyn Davis, has to be one of the all time greatest mothers in history. My entire life she has always been extremely supportive of everything that I do. Whether I was playing in a sporting event or performing in some play, my mother was always sitting in the crowd. I don't use the word always lightly; I can't remember one event that she ever missed. She never complained about being there, and I always knew that no matter what the outcome (even if I was getting thrown out of the game she came to watch) she was pleased with me and proud to call me her son.

It was never a question in our house if something was right or wrong because my mother made sure that my brother and I always knew how to behave and what was expected of us. That's not saying that I never screwed up, but when I was doing something wrong it wasn't in ignorance. She was a firm believer in corporal punishment and exercised her right to do this on a daily basis; whether it was a paint stir-stick, a fly swatter, or her high heel shoe (only happened once, and I deserved it) we were disciplined appropriately. I know there are some who might look down on this sort of parenting, and to them I would say, "You are not smart (in this case, I would use another word but because of Mom, I know that it is impolite to call someone retarded)." I am a much better man today because of the way that I was parented in those situations.

She is known to all of our friends as Momma D, and it fits her perfectly because she is just as much of a mother to each and every one of them as she is to her own children. Our door was always open to anyone who wanted to walk through it, and anyone who came in, wasn't going to leave until they were miserably full and loved. She only had one rule and all of our friends knew it: if you're going to stay in her house on Saturday night, you're going to church with her on Sunday morning.

I could ramble on about how amazing my mother is to me and how much I appreciate her, but I will leave you with the most important lesson that I learned from her. My mother is one of the most God loving, God fearing people on this earth. She has always made it clear to us that we should make God the number one priority in our lives, as He is in her life, even before her own children. At an early age, she was forced to be the mother and the father to my brother and me, and she never once blamed God. Seeing her reaction to such a devastating event has taught me more in life than any lecture or sermon could ever do. She has a passion for the Lord that surpasses any desire or addiction known to man, and through the way she lives her life, she motivates me to want to do better.

When it comes to that unfortunate point in my life that I have children, I never plan on missing one of their events, they will know right from wrong, they will be spanked, their friends will be loved, and they will know where God fits in their priorities.