Sunday, May 11, 2008

A Shout Out to My Mama

Mother's Day is now officially one of my favorite holidays. I love celebrating women and motherhood. In honor of this special day, I wanted to highlight a few of the attributes of my own mother that I hope to emulate. I probably don't take enough time to honor the female role models in my life, so....here goes nothing.

First and foremost, my mother instilled in me a love of reading and a genuine reverence for books. I carry this with me all the time, and to this day, I can not enter a library without thinking of my mom.

My mom is endlessly optimistic.

One of the best descriptors of my mother's personality that I've ever heard is this: she lives her life in Technicolor.

My mom has experienced every kind of trial in her life, and she has never ever become bitter about it. From a really tough childhood to a rocky first marriage...from breast cancer to heart attacks to a liver transplant...from losing both of her parents to losing her firstborn son to a tragic accident...my mom has pretty much seen it all.

The older I get, the more I realize how important it is to prepare for the future by learning from the past. I've learned a lot from my mom, my sister, my mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, women in my ward, and especially from my friends about what it means to be a mother. I think I've learned a lot about what is important (and more specifically...what is NOT important), and to let go of unrealistic expectations and enjoy living in the moment. I am so grateful for my daughters and the joy they bring to my life. I can only hope that someday they too will enjoy the wonderful blessing of motherhood. It is one wild ride.

So, Happy Mother's Day, to all of you mothers out there...especially you, Mom. You deserve it!

1 comment:

Mary said...

You're mom is so sweet! Tell her Happy Late Mother's Day from me!