A Tribute

Because of it being Mother's Day, I wanted to post a tribute to my mother. I won't post a picture of her because I know she wouldn't like that but I wanted to share with everyone just how wonderful my mother is. I thought I would just share some memories I have of my mother.

My mother was not a very sympathetic woman when it came to injuries and such but that was not a bad thing. I went everywhere barefoot and often came home with stubbed toes, trailing blood and pieces of skin behind me. My mother would stick a band aid on it and send me back outside. I don't think it occurred to me to whine about it.
If we woke up with a runny nose or a cough, she would send us to school and tell us not to bring it home with us. She would instruct us to throw it in the trash. You know what, we always did. We believed her.
However, when I had the stomach bug, she was the most sympathetic woman in the world. She knew that it terrified me and that was when she stepped in. She would be up with my all night rubbing my head and reassuring me. My mother always knew the appropriate times to hug or talk or just send us on our way.
We learned through her to solve our own problems. We learned to be independent. We learned that we could take care of ourselves and that we would be OK.

I was always the envy of all my friends because of my mother. Everyone wanted to spend the night at our house. She was always so welcoming. She made our friends feel completely at home. I remember the time when she planned a big fishing trip to the local lake. She invited all our friends and we all went fishing. She was awesome. She taught me basic sewing when I was 8 or 9 and she also taught me to type about the same age.
She encouraged creativity and never fussed about a messes. We had our chores to do but she never let the cleanliness of the house get in the way of fun. There was a patch of dirt outside our front door that she kept there for the sole purpose of having a mud pit. She would turn on the hose and let us create. We used to build mud cars and buildings and such and put them all over the front porch to dry in the sun.

She had my dad build a shed. It was supposed to be for tools and such but it was really our playhouse. She would set us up out there for sleepovers and send us with lots of snacks.

She also used to let us take all the cushions off the couches and chairs and any other pillows we could gather up. We would stack them on top of each other in the middle of the room. Then we would stand on the back of the couch and jump on top of them and see who could balance the longest. As we fell, we often fell into the walls or other furniture, but she never complained.

We also used to take our mattresses to the top of the stairs and get on top. It was great fun sliding down over and over and sometimes would roll each other up in them. We jumped on our beds too and sometimes layed under the mattress while some else jumped on it, on us. She never complained. She often gave us the ideas.
She always made sure we had plenty of food and clothes. Shoes were optional.

My mother read to us all the time. I remember her still reading to me when I was 10. She instilled in us a love of books and reading. She would read books like Charlie's Monument and Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Classics if you haven't read them. I have read them to my daughter as well.
My mother also puts up with our teasing and sarcasm. We use a lot of 'your mama' jokes just because. She thinks they're funny.

The best thing about my mother is her positive attitude. She always looks on the bright side and always looks for the good in people. She also serves so valiantly in her silent way. She has a wonderful laugh and laughs often. She doesn't complain about her health issues.

She has also set a wonderful example to me by remaining married through some very rough times. I think she had an eternal perspective even if she didn't realize it.

Most importantly, my mother brought the gospel to me. She was in tune enough to invite it into our lives. I thank her for that. I thank the Lord for my wonderful mother. She has always been my best friend and confidant.

I love you Mom!!