Mothers Day Greetings from Alex and the boys

Dear Mom,

Happy Mother's Day!!! I love you so much. Everything about you is truly magnificent, and I am so proud to have a father who constantly reminds me, Howie, and those who come to see you of your many virtues. You are a mother who looks after our family with such doting care. Your love for our family and others is genuine, and we are forever grateful. Your joy for Christ is palpable, and your presence always pleasant.

You have taught me and Howie well. I praise God for all the quality time Howie and I spent under your wings. We are grown now but will never forget the lessons you have taught us.

Life in New York City is going well. I am exploring what the city and life has to offer. I am striving to excel at work and am learning a lot. This is the perfect place to be for someone my age, and I hope I can convince Howie to join me here after the Naval Academy and his service. I still have a lot to learn and a lot to work on, so please continue to pray for my spiritual, mental, and physical development. 

Love,
Warren

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Dear Mom,
Happy Mother's Day!
Today, and more days to come, definitely honor your love, kindness, patience, and commitment towards both Christ and our family.

Thanking you for loving me so much is a complete understatement. Your never ending love and care for me has made me achieve things that I thought were not possible.

I remember the many things that you've done for our family. You loved us so much that you spoiled us. You did our laundry, cleaned the house, and cooked for us everyday. Those were hard work mom and we took them for granted. I feel completely bad for being picky about your food at times. That was definitely wrong. Without you here, doing all these house chores are pretty difficult. I have no idea how you did them all by yourself! You were always smiling and cheerful.

Thank you mom for raising me well. Proverbs 22:6 says "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it".   I am so fortunate to have a loving and caring mom. There aren't many moms out there who are like you. You have given me the confidence to demonstrate my strengths and not letting my weaknesses bother me. Carrying this to UAB, my one year college experience has definitely made me more mature spiritually, mentally, and physically.

I know God has a wonderful plan for everyone. I remember how we discussed the possibility of me attending the United States Naval Academy during my junior year; but somehow, we decided not to. Then you got sick. I ended up at UAB and that turned out to be a blessing. I wasn't ready for the Naval Academy; I wasn't mature and physically fit enough.

With God's help and loving support from my uncles, aunts, cousins, and others, I applied and was accepted to the United States Naval Academy. This has definitely been the biggest accomplishment of my life. I could not have done this without help from God, you and the rest of our family and relatives.

Thank you so much for being a true follower of Christ, a loving and dedicated mother, and always being there for me.

You've spoiled us many times, and when you recover, it is our turn to spoil you.

Although your recovery appears extremely slow and at times, feels extremely discouraging, we should not let that bother us. This is all temporary. God has a wonderful plan, and our main goal is to be faithful and devoted to him in both good times, and bad times. We have to learn how to endure. God has a reason for everything. At the end, we will come out as a stronger and united family. We shouldn't forget the miracles that God has performed. From Warren's admittance to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to my acceptance to the United States Naval Academy, we should never forget that God answers our prayers. God loves us and care for us deeply.

I love you very much mom and again a very Happy Mother's Day!

Love,
Howie C.

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Dear Miriam,

Our children and I love you very very much. They are where they are today because of YOU. 

You gave your best every day. Everything in our house was in order because of you. You were the first one to rise up in the morning and the last one to go to bed. You were always full of energy. You excelled in time management. You were like a superb conductor in the New York Symphony Orchestra. The music of life was always a daily Standing Ovation event. You did them so skillfully and we were living in heaven on earth. It was paradise everyday for me and our children.

Your secret was God and your mom. Thank you Grandma. You learned from your mom to pray everyday for wisdom and strength from God. Your deep deep love for your husband and your children made you smile everyday and you carried them wherever you went. Your friends at Costco, Publix, Rite Aid, Staples etc etc can attest to that.  I always looked forward to coming home. I could still hear your voice telling me when I walked into the house " Hi Honey, it is so good to see you!!!" You love me and our children so much. As a matter of fact, you were overflowing with love that you always had plenty to give to your mom, siblings, friends and strangers. The words that came out of your mouth were always soothing and full of encouragement.  The boys and I enjoyed talking to you always. You always made us laugh. You always had a funny side to the story. Thank you for teaching us HOW TO LIVE.

I love you very very much too. Happy mother's day my love.

In His Time,

Alex