Hello, I’m Michelle, a housemom here at Cookson Hills. I’ve been blessed by decades of Mother’s Day celebrations. But this year took the cake as the best Mother’s Day I’ve ever had, not because of the grandness, but because it gave such a clear little glimpse of what the Lord is doing in the hearts of our kids.

For a week, unknown to me, the kids had been planning every detail of this. While Tom, my husband, gave approvals and helped make sure I would be occupied, the kids made decorations, wrote out menus, found recipes, and prepared a meal that I could actually eat. That last part is no small thing, since I cannot eat sugar or gluten. They could have chosen something quick and easy, but instead they chose thoughtfulness. They worked around limits, cooked the meal themselves, and served it with a joy that made the whole house feel full.

On Mother’s day, while I took my regular Sunday rest nap, they were busy putting their plan in place. When I woke up, I found flowers, candles, a homemade menu marked with love and humor, a meal of my favorites, and a group of kids, dressed in their finest, who had poured themselves into blessing someone else. 

Tom and I know we are imperfect houseparents. We make mistakes, grow tired, miss things, get flustered, and need grace daily. That is what made this day so precious. It was not a testimony to us. It was a testimony to our good God. He is working in these children’s lives in ways that are often quiet, often gradual, and sometimes suddenly visible enough to take our breath away.

The Bible says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). It also says, “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works” (Ephesians 2:10). That is what this felt like: not kids performing for approval, but kids beginning to understand the joy of loving in deed and in truth.

Cookson Hills is a blessed place for that kind of growth. The “village” here matters. The teachers, staff, houseparents, supporters, and prayer warriors all help provide soil where kids can heal, learn, belong, and thrive. None of us can make a heart bloom. But God can. And by His grace, we sometimes get to watch it happen right in front of us.

That Mother’s Day meal was filled with little things: paper flowers, candles, laughter, a homemade menu, dressed-up servers, sugar-free dessert, and a special dance reserved for Tom and I. Yet each detail said something larger. 

It said these kids are learning to think of others. 

It said they are learning to serve. 

It said God is not finished with them, or with any of us.

So when I look at the pictures, I do not simply see a pretty table or a special meal. I see grace. I see young lives being shaped by the Lord. I see a reminder that “he which hath begun a good work” is faithful to continue it (Philippians 1:6).

May every bit of praise go to Him. And may these kids continue to blossom under His care, for His glory.