if i could ask Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's mother a few questions...

if you watch the news at all, i'm sure you have seen this face

the face of a young man named Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

he has become known instead as the marathon bomber.

the 19-year-old boy who, fueled by his anger against america, worked with his brother to try and bring fear and death to her people.

if you've clicked on any of the news stories along the way, you've probably seen this face

this is dzhokhar's mother.

i often think about my role as a mother.

i work very hard to make sure i am instilling positive, godly character qualities for my boys to follow and live after.

but at the end of the day? they are still responsible for their actions!

proverbs tell us that even a child is known by his doings.

does that mean that i just sit back and hope for the best?

of course not!

i will continue to work hard. i will still continue to train and discipline them the way that God wants.

but back to dzhokhar's mother.

i wish i could have the chance to ask her a few questions.

what is she thinking? 

is she thinking back to all the sleepless nights when her boys were babies?

is she remembering the long weeks and months of potty training?

is she reminiscing about her boys playing, giggling, wrestling...

is she wondering what went wrong?

what was her life like then? 

did she spend hours researching and studying ways to raise strong, loving leaders?

did she hug them a lot?

what about her words. did she use them to speak life into those impressionable little lives...

or was she building up bitterness and anger?

was she conscious about helping them gain self-confidence...without it turning into pride?

because...see. all of these questions? are very meaningful to me. 

i think they can affect me.

i think that every choice we, as moms make. every response we have. every hug we give...or hold back -

those make an impact that can affect our kids forever.

i want to know how to raise my kids.

i want to know that what i am doing will help them grow. 

grow to be strong. loving, godly and responsible.

so dzhokar's mother.

what is she going to do now?

is it too late for her? is she feeling like her life is over? like there is no hope?

i mean...she will forever be known as the mother whose sons killed innocent lives.

does she feel guilt? responsibility? shame?

i can't know that.

but i just can't help but be inspired when i hear the stories about those injured and the families of those who have lost a child in the bombings.

i know that good things can certainly come from bad...although it is easy for me to say.

i didn't lose a child.

i didn't lose a leg.

but when i think about this horrific incident.

i can't help but think about it from a mother's perspective.

and do you know what it does for me?

it drives me.

drives me to make sure i am constantly communicating with my boys.

teaching them that our God. the one we serve...does not show favortism. to anyone.

it motivates me to love harder today.

to hug more. smile more. laugh more. and be stressed less.

it makes me want to teach my boys the way to love people. 

and to keep current. current with their feelings and emotions, to make sure they are thinking right first. 

to take responsibility for their actions.

so if i could ask dzhokhar's mom a few questions.

here they are.

what are you thinking? what was your life like?

and 

how did it go from what it was then to what it is now?

because it doesn't happen overnight.

bitterness grows.

anger grows.

hatred grows.

but it can also be stopped.

and we can help our kids learn that

forgiveness can grow.

patience can grow.

love can grow.

let's take this time to really evaluate our kids lives.

our own lives!

what if you could be that mom that people are dying to ask questions of...

because you have raised upstanding amazing kids!

let's try and be that mom. who's with me?