My mother birthed 9 children into the world.
She nursed 9 babies, tickled 90 toesies, and discovered the joy of homeschooling.
Today, due to what I was wearing this Sabbath day, I recalled this photo, as my mom came to see our children’s annual Primary Program.
{A Primary Program in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, is a most sacred and joyful event as children sing the hymns of Zion and teach us the pure principles of the gospel as they strive to reverently behave, they tickle our hearts with their sweetness and quirks. This song touched me personally the very most, this year. Oh may I find precious even if brief, quiet places and moments to get insight from our dear and good God for these adooorable children He has so graciously gifted me to shepherd!!}
I loooove having my mama by my side during primary programs of our children/grandchildren.
42 years later, here we are today.
My mom is still as beautiful as ever and I guess I still like plaid skirts and white blouses.
I followed my mother’s example in many many ways, one of which was that I listened carefully, one at a time, as to when God wanted another baby to join our family, and we felt that by grace and faith, that He would help us bring one here.
My mom and I share a birthday, practically, and are autumn maidens, and a hop skip and a jump later, my husband has a birthday too, so we enjoyed this chocolate sweet potato cake with herbal tea together. A sibling of mine had already treated her with an amazing carrot cake, her favorite, so we went with dark chocolate moist sweet potato cake with coconut shavings. My hubby loves coconut. The autumnal colored dried flower arrangement is a gift from my mother from last year, and the table cloth is a fabric remnant her mother saved and I collected when my mother offered me to come and choose some of her things. The fall tea pot I bought with birthday money from my mother in law and I was blessed to find the fall tea cups and saucers at D.I. last year.
A very Happy birthday to a most honorable mother!! This is a reference to a book she reads better than anyone else can, “Tikki Tikki Tembo.” My mom could get paid to do read a louds, one of my fondest childhood memories.
My mother loves learning, folk music, is passionate into her politics and I owe so much to her, starting with creating and giving me life, as well as life to eight other incredible humans, being a wonderful listener and cheerleader, writing thoughtful notes on Valentine’s day and I now have that same gift of thoughtful note writing, special uplifting letters written all through out my lds mission and adventures teaching English to Russian children in Russia, sharing of her faith and confidence as a woman within that faith, letting me in on the affections and fears of her heart in personal conversations, and laughing Whole Heartedly at my very silly jokes.
My mom has the very best laugh, it starts from her toes and exits her crown. Its a cackle we allllllll 9 kids, crave to be for our own joke.
She created many wonderful experiences for each of us children as we were growing up and allowed us to dabble in everything, from baking, art, to what have you such that we tap into our creativity. NO, actually, she allowed us to get knee deep into those and so, we created some massive messes.
She likes to call herself an honory old cuss.
She did teach me to cuss, a little, but so much more. She took us for hikes and to enjoy sunsets and gave us space to explore and provided opportunities for leadership to develop. A lot of this was from being a tired mother who was happy to let someone else do the barking. (I find large families build in a protection against micromanaging and lend naturally to training other leaders, especially as a woman ages, and fatigues, and her youth need to grow in their leadership, compassion, service and skills. :))
When I came home from college, my sisters and I cleaned out a barn and had a barn dance! We had clean teams and bonded in trying to create beauty in the business of a home filled with cats and children. She petered out by the end, inviting top ramen to be all of our comfort food, but labored for years and years creating healthy tasty dinners. She signed me up for 4-H, and I learned to sew and craft with great skill. I even had a month of gymnastics when we were poor, as well as 2 painting lessons, and a few months of quilting lessons held on the army bases we were stationed at. Would you know I paint, quilt, and can do a beautiful cartwheel at age almost 50? I mean 48, I have two solid years till then.
She took me on her walks, which I still love and adore and walks are to this day my main reason for health, sanity and a fit figure. I also love walking with family and friends. She helped me volunteer at the library, thrift store, and horse stables, all of which were talent-expanding and increased my empathy and sensitivity to human need, and my friend-shipping and confidence grew. I watched her tenacity and courage at the horse stables, and developed my own.
P.S. My mom was also a kick butt 4-H leader for us and I got to learn photography with her and go on a fun, ambitious and adventurous 4-H campout My siblings and I had so much fun in her 4-H club, and other opportunities for each child that she created, otherwise and including enjoyable learning, romping and exploring
In particular, I thank her for coming out weeks on end to fold our laundry after our tenth was born!!!!!!! Weeeeehooooooo!!!!!!! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She has always been my laundry angel, but this birth took the cake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I appreciate greatly her allowing for the open communication needed between she and I, for me to navigate everything, at a sensitive time as child birth is, and I am pleased and proud to say that we had heart felt visits where we laughed, discussed, and managed children very effectively, as well as, “got the job done”, in household duties. In-between that, she played games with my children and gave them great glee when they were winning due to her competitive spirit and exclamations of playful, if not somewhat accurate dismay.
Happy birthday dearest mother. May health and strength be ours, well into the future, fortitude as we navigate differing beliefs and tender subjects, with authentic, kind, vulnerable open communication to make for a meaningful relationship, with restitution and love when bumps occur, and may we continue to pass the torch and stewardship of igniting young ones with hope, faith, creativity, knowledge, tenacity, accountability, merry making and respect.
This is one of my mom’s favorites, and hence a favorite of mine, since I have always loved every song my mother loved and introduced to me, and I would say we both ring out the bells we feel will bring joy, love, and freedom to this world.
I’m as stubborn and bull-headed as she, though I’m a bit more outward about it of the two of us I would say, and somehow, we keep a dance going together!!
🎼🎼🎼And….
She rubs lotion into the hands of the elderly giants, knowing they deserve and crave personal, kind physical touch, and she makes sure their lips are soft with chapstick. She feeds the deer and bunnies at the graves she visits, adding beautiful bouquets of flowers, each thing communicating a tailored message of love to her cherished deceased.
She watches the skies with the wonder and awe those before her taught her to delight in.
Thank you for everything,