Mother, I Love You

My Mom is a farmgirl from Montana. Growing up, I loved hearing stories about her seven siblings and their wild adventures of farm life. Of course, as a child, you don't always appreciate a mother that knows how to work hard (and work her kids hard) but now that I am a mother and have my own home, I am so happy for what she taught me about keeping house.

Except for my first year of Girls' Camp, Mom and I always prepared for and went together. I was so proud that my mom could build the best and biggest fires, and that she had a great sense of humor when she let loose.

Mom drove us around to a bizillion activities and came to all of them. She was so supportive in all my time-consuming activities. She was a stay-at-home mom which I really came to love. When I was sick at school, she could pick me up, when I came home, she was there to greet me. She got up every morning to make lunch for us - and she got up early as we had a religious class that met at 6am!

Mom is a beautiful example of service. When our friends were in need, she mothered them and gave them advice. There was an elderly couple on my brother's paper route (which she eventually took over) who needed help when the husband became ill. She helped Mrs. B with the funeral, took her on errands, helped her when she became ill, was a good friend, and after her passing, helped take care of her arrangements. She is always serving and giving of her time to help those in need.

Mom loves to send care packages. At college, during my mission, and even now we get little packages with goodies, socks, or sale finds. Each package is a token of her thoughtfulness and love.

I love to see her as a grandmother. She adores her grandchildren and loves to spoil them. She and my Dad travel a lot to see their seven grandchildren who are spread across the country. She gets down on the floor and plays with them and learns the ins and outs of all their different personalities. She talks on the phone with them and listens patiently as I prompt the kids to sing their newly learned song or say their new word, or just listens to them jabber about nothing in particular.

I am so thankful that I can talk to my Mom daily and ask for advice or if she wouldn't mind if I sent my children to her by Express Mail for a month. She just laughs and reminds me that she's already been there, done that. When we get together, we stay up late and talk, go shopping, and generally don't get the things done that we wanted to get done. But we have fun together.

The older I get, the more like her I become, but somehow I don't mind so much anymore. I hope I can become more like her because she is a wonderful, strong woman that I look up to very much.

Thank you, Mom, for all that you are. I love you.