Thursday, November 21, 2013

          Today is my mom’s birthday, and she is honored on my November “thankful” tree.  It always seems easier to recognize the great qualities of someone close to you as years go by and you have a chance for greater reflection. 

She was an amazing mom and I owe her credit for providing me opportunities to learn and grow—both the ones I enjoyed and the ones I didn’t J  Her little children were always well dressed, neat and clean, and had hair fixed and in place even for every day wear.  She was rather task oriented so I learned to be organized, take care of details, and make sure everything was done as well as possible. 

I learned to unpick seams that weren’t sewn straight; to weed the garden thoroughly; to practice my music pieces over and over through the rough places until they smoothed out; to sweep the floors after every meal, to carefully clean the tops of the fruit jars so they would seal; to work for an “A” grade in school; to practice dance steps at home between lessons as a little girl; to labor over bread dough at age 12 kneading and kneading; to always do dishes right after a meal and never go to bed with dishes in the sink (except for Daddy’s late-night ice cream bowl); to “use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without,” to prepare well in advance for everything from company dinners to talks and lessons for church; to retire to my bed early and arise early—always!

          The list goes on and on, but any good qualities I developed were founded in the example and teachings of my parents, and this is just a dent in mom’s list.  I will be eternally grateful for everything she taught me and for the things I was able to pass on to my children.  Happy Birthday, Mom.  I Love You!