{"id":20281,"date":"2026-03-11T09:06:04","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T09:06:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/the-gift-of-motherhood\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:09:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:09:42","slug":"the-gift-of-motherhood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/the-gift-of-motherhood\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gift of Motherhood"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mother\u2019s Day will arrive in just a few days. It\u2019s a time when children and spouses give gifts to the moms in their lives. I\u2019ve always thought that was a little bit backwards. I\u2019m the one who has been blessed beyond measure by being a mom. I feel like I should be the one giving the gifts out of gratitude for the joy my children have brought to me. <\/span><\/p>\n

Being a mom is one of the best jobs in the world\u2014and also one of the toughest. I\u2019m reminded of one of the lines from my Just 18 Summers <\/em><\/a>novel, \u201cThe years are long but the seasons are short.\u201d There\u2019s a lot of truth to that.<\/p>\n

I remember those days when my three sons were little. There were times when I was so exhausted that I wondered if I\u2019d live long enough to see the boys reach adulthood\u2014days when I\u2019d have given my house away for eight hours of uninterrupted sleep.<\/p>\n

There were long nights when I cared for sick children, dispensing medicines and hugs, praying for God to break their fevers and to help them feel better. And I won\u2019t even start on the seemingly endless months we dealt with colic.<\/p>\n

I remember days when it seemed like piles of laundry towered halfway to heaven, and no matter how many loads I washed, the piles never seemed to diminish. No matter how many times I cleaned the house and picked up the toys, it seemed it never stayed that way for more than five minutes.<\/p>\n

I suggested to my husband (only halfway joking) that we might want to consider camouflage carpet and handprint-pattern wallpaper for the stairwell because our dirt-magnet boys left souvenirs behind every time they went up and down the stairs.<\/p>\n

Can any of you moms relate?<\/p>\n

I mean, why<\/em> would any woman choose to be a mom if it means dealing with all those not-so-pleasant situations? Well, let me tell you why\u2014it\u2019s because in the midst of all those moments, God sends amazing sweetness, and each season is precious beyond words.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll never forget the memories of a fresh-from-the-bath baby sleeping in my arms, of stroking my fingers across velvety-soft skin and through downy hair as I gazed at the perfection that God had loaned to me. How could I ever forget how my heart melted when my tiny son\u2019s arms and legs kicked with excitement whenever I walked into the room or the joy of watching his first steps as he wobbled across the floor?<\/p>\n

What precious memories of my rosy-cheeked toddler laughing as he rode on his daddy\u2019s shoulders, of kneeling beside his bed for nighttime prayers and tucking him in with hugs and kisses. Oh my, those seasons went by way too fast!<\/p>\n

READ MORE: A MOTHER\u2019S GRACE<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

The snapshots in my heart bring back memories of my sweet-faced little boy standing at the front door with a bouquet of flowers he\u2019d picked from the yard for me. How desperately I wanted to freeze-frame those moments. But I couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

And then it was time for him to start kindergarten. Yes, there were tears that day. Not his, mine. It was hard to start letting go!<\/p>\n

We packed the seasons as tightly as we could with our family gathered around campfires, catching fireflies and playing countless games of ball in the yard or the driveway. We celebrated holidays and piled everyone in the car for vacations. We made memories, blew out birthday candles and watched as the years flew by much faster than we wanted.<\/p>\n

It only seemed like a day or two had gone by and our son turned 13. How <\/em>could he be a teenager already? And then it seemed like we only blinked once or twice and he was getting his driver\u2019s license. How in the world could that be happening already?<\/p>\n

The seasons seemed like they went by at warp speed, and soon we wiped away tears as our son walked across the platform for his high school diploma\u2026and four years later across another stage for his college diploma.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: THEY WILL CALL YOU BLESSED<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

And then a special girl entered his life\u2014the girl we\u2019d prayed for since before he was born\u2014and months later we fought back tears as he kissed his bride. Tears of joy for them and tears of sadness for us because our least favorite season had arrived\u2014the one for him to leave us.<\/p>\n

For those of you whose children are still at home, I hope you won\u2019t mind if an old grandma gal reminds you to slow down and squeeze the moments. They go by so fast! We truly have just 18 summers before our children leave home\u2014and each season is precious beyond words. <\/p>\n

I can\u2019t imagine my life without my sons. How blessed I\u2019ve been to be their mama. So today I\u2019d like to thank God for the gift of motherhood.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019d like to wish a Happy Mother\u2019s Day to all of you moms out there. I think you\u2019ll all agree with me that being a mom is one of the best gifts ever!<\/p>\n

Dear Father, Thank you for the gift of our children. Help us to make family a priority, to savor the moments, to teach our children about You, and to make some memories. Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mother\u2019s Day will arrive in just a few days. It\u2019s a time when children and spouses give gifts to the moms in their lives. I\u2019ve always thought that was a little bit backwards. I\u2019m the one who has been blessed beyond measure by being a mom. I feel like I should be the one giving […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":28811,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[222],"tags":[62,70,271],"ppma_author":[474],"class_list":["post-20281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family","tag-blessings","tag-mother","tag-mothers-day"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Gift of Motherhood - Guideposts Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Gift of Motherhood\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mother\u2019s Day will arrive in just a few days. It\u2019s a time when children and spouses give gifts to the moms in their lives. I\u2019ve always thought that was a little bit backwards. I\u2019m the one who has been blessed beyond measure by being a mom. I feel like I should be the one giving […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/the-gift-of-motherhood\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Guideposts Articles\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-11T09:06:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-10T06:09:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/articles.guideposts.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/blog_mother2sons_900-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"550\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michelle Cox\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/the-gift-of-motherhood\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/the-gift-of-motherhood\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michelle Cox\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/91e69238d5e9d40c00eb5e169505a490\"},\"headline\":\"The Gift of Motherhood\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-11T09:06:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-10T06:09:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/the-gift-of-motherhood\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":917,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/the-gift-of-motherhood\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/blog_mother2sons_900-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Blessings\",\"Mother\",\"Mother's Day\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Family\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/the-gift-of-motherhood\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/the-gift-of-motherhood\\\/\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/the-gift-of-motherhood\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Gift of Motherhood - Guideposts Articles\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/the-gift-of-motherhood\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/the-gift-of-motherhood\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/blog_mother2sons_900-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-11T09:06:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-10T06:09:42+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/the-gift-of-motherhood\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/the-gift-of-motherhood\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/the-gift-of-motherhood\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/blog_mother2sons_900-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/blog_mother2sons_900-1.jpg\",\"width\":900,\"height\":550},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/the-gift-of-motherhood\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Positive Living\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Friends and Family\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Family\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/friends-and-family\\\/family\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"The Gift of Motherhood\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/\",\"name\":\"Guideposts Articles\",\"description\":\"Strengthening Faith. Providing Hope.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Guideposts Articles\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/gp-logo-white.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/gp-logo-white.svg\",\"caption\":\"Guideposts Articles\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/91e69238d5e9d40c00eb5e169505a490\",\"name\":\"Michelle Cox\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5e394d5f753c6f85bbf2b611b68c524cf5d0ef95f9e04fe7eb8f203eb837d59f?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g846301d99314d6f2ac0e1d0ef60ea873\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5e394d5f753c6f85bbf2b611b68c524cf5d0ef95f9e04fe7eb8f203eb837d59f?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5e394d5f753c6f85bbf2b611b68c524cf5d0ef95f9e04fe7eb8f203eb837d59f?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Michelle Cox\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/author\\\/michelle_cox\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Gift of Motherhood - Guideposts Articles","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Gift of Motherhood","og_description":"Mother\u2019s Day will arrive in just a few days. It\u2019s a time when children and spouses give gifts to the moms in their lives. I\u2019ve always thought that was a little bit backwards. I\u2019m the one who has been blessed beyond measure by being a mom. I feel like I should be the one giving […]","og_url":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/the-gift-of-motherhood\/","og_site_name":"Guideposts Articles","article_published_time":"2026-03-11T09:06:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-10T06:09:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":900,"height":550,"url":"http:\/\/articles.guideposts.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/blog_mother2sons_900-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Michelle Cox","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/the-gift-of-motherhood\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/the-gift-of-motherhood\/"},"author":{"name":"Michelle Cox","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/91e69238d5e9d40c00eb5e169505a490"},"headline":"The Gift of Motherhood","datePublished":"2026-03-11T09:06:04+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-10T06:09:42+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/the-gift-of-motherhood\/"},"wordCount":917,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/the-gift-of-motherhood\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/blog_mother2sons_900-1.jpg","keywords":["Blessings","Mother","Mother's Day"],"articleSection":["Family"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/the-gift-of-motherhood\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/the-gift-of-motherhood\/","url":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/the-gift-of-motherhood\/","name":"The Gift of Motherhood - Guideposts Articles","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/the-gift-of-motherhood\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/the-gift-of-motherhood\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/blog_mother2sons_900-1.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-11T09:06:04+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-10T06:09:42+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/the-gift-of-motherhood\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/the-gift-of-motherhood\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/the-gift-of-motherhood\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/blog_mother2sons_900-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/blog_mother2sons_900-1.jpg","width":900,"height":550},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/the-gift-of-motherhood\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Positive Living","item":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Friends and Family","item":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Family","item":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"The Gift of Motherhood"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#website","url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/","name":"Guideposts Articles","description":"Strengthening Faith. Providing Hope.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#organization","name":"Guideposts Articles","url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/gp-logo-white.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/gp-logo-white.svg","caption":"Guideposts Articles"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/91e69238d5e9d40c00eb5e169505a490","name":"Michelle Cox","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5e394d5f753c6f85bbf2b611b68c524cf5d0ef95f9e04fe7eb8f203eb837d59f?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g846301d99314d6f2ac0e1d0ef60ea873","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5e394d5f753c6f85bbf2b611b68c524cf5d0ef95f9e04fe7eb8f203eb837d59f?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5e394d5f753c6f85bbf2b611b68c524cf5d0ef95f9e04fe7eb8f203eb837d59f?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g","caption":"Michelle Cox"},"url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/author\/michelle_cox\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":474,"user_id":116,"is_guest":0,"slug":"michelle_cox","display_name":"Michelle Cox","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g","0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20281"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20281\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20281"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=20281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}