True Heroes A to Z: K with Love

Quickly, I'm guest posting over at Annalisa Crawfords place to help celebrate her reaching the big 40! Pop in and stretch your creative muscles with us.

True heroes are all around us, in our every day lives, but some people stand out. During this A-Z Challenge I hope to share several of my real life heroes, and invite you to share yours in the comments.

Thus far I've shared with you so many of my world-known heroes, but I think the most inspiring ones rarely hear praise.

asper, Patricia Christena Lowe Hicken. (Does she have enough names?) This is "Mom." She's survived raising 8 kids, one of them special needs, living far away from family while doing that (or having very little family support through the process), and losing a husband to cancer.

Mom was always cleaning. Always. (With 8 kids, is that any wonder?) She spent an entire day every week doing nothing but laundry. Despite trying to get us kids to help with chores, she ended up doing most of it herself, and I know there were many, many years she felt so completely burned out, she didn't know how she put one foot in front of the other. But she did.

Dad was a doctor, and rarely home. He worked 12 hour days when I was young, and then often delivered babies in the middle of the night. Essentially, he left everything to Mom. I've often wondered how she survived. Some of us were not easy kids, especially my special need brother (Randy) and her youngest (looking at you, Jeff). I participated in so many extracurricular activities that I'm amazed she made it to even HALF my performances. But she did.

She looked forward to the day when her kids would be grown and she'd be able to do things with her husband, but right at the cusp of that transition, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Of all the difficulties she'd endured for so long, I didn't know how she'd survive it. But she did.

Now, remarried to a widower who also lost his spouse to cancer, they've just returned from a church service mission--the first of many. It's little wonder. Mom has never known how to stop serving.

The thing I've learned from her is that we are much tougher than we think we are. We have the strength to endure and even enjoy greater trials than our little minds can comprehend. Because of Mom, I know I can deal with grubby fingerprints on the walls, or raising my children far away from family support, or even home schooling while having a career. More than that, I've realized the joy of my children will grow long beyond the demolition stage of their youth. Because hers does.

To mothers everywhere, I salute you. To my mom, I adore you. Thank you for your everything.

Did you see my announcement on Monday? 

(Apologies to those of you who've seen it six times now.)

The

release date has been announced! MOONLESS is on sale now for $1.99! (But only for a couple more weeks.) Do you fear the Moonless night?

Jane Eyre meets Supernatural.

Alexia must choose safety and an arranged marriage, or true love and being hunted by the Soulless every moonless night.

Do you have a good relationship with your mother? Have you had more than one mother figure in your life? What is the greatest lesson you learned from your mother?