Happy Mother's Day

I’m going to focus on two wonderful moms that are in my life for this Mother’s Day. First is my mom.

She is a fantastic woman. She is a wonderful mom. Growing up she tried to make every day special for us. I was spoiled. Every day after school she would have a baked goodie ready for me for a snack before starting homework or piano practice. She shuttled me to lessons and always let me know she supported me. She pushed me to stick with piano when I wanted to quit many, many times. She helped me study for tests, quizzed me with flashcards and helped me with difficult homework assignments. She did silly things like have green food for St. Patrick’s Day or have “cultural heritage” dinners where she would cook food from our ancestor’s homelands. She made holidays special for us. She helped us to have family traditions. She led our 4-H group and taught me many handicrafts including sewing, cake decorating, cooking, crocheting and knitting. She prayed with us and for us. She loves the Lord and his restored gospel. She helped me with my faith in my Savior Jesus Christ. I leaned on her testimony of the gospel until I was strong enough to learn for myself and develop my own testimony of God’s love for me and his plan of happiness. She raised 4 kids and stayed at home with us to be there for us. She sacrificed much to be a stay-at-home mom, but she never let us know that it was a sacrifice. She loves me and I know she still worries about me and does all she can for me. She is a great mom and I love her.

Second is my paternal grandma.
She is a wonderful woman. I’ve always been close to her, and I feel we share a special bond. Of all my grandparents I’m closest to her. She is the mother of two boys, my Uncle Greg who they adopted after many years of trying to have a child, and my dad- their miracle baby. She is the grandmother of 12 grandchildren and the great-grandmother of 11 great-grandchildren. She has had an amazing life including getting a BS degree in Home Economics in a time when women didn’t attend Universities. She has fantastic stories of being the only woman in many of her science, math and general education classes. She chose Home Economics as her major as it was one of the few open to her. She helped my grandfather start his dental business. She has a love of the Lord and a testimony of the gospel. For many years she hosted a monthly extended family night that we (all the grandkids and kids) attended. At these nights she or my grandfather would prepare a spiritual lesson, and she would cook an amazing spread of food. She hosted many holiday celebrations as well and made them special for us. She was my favorite grandparent to have baby-sit us when my folks went away for a weekend trip. I have so many special memories of her creating special time for just the two of us to go to lunch, or out for the day. She bought me my pet turtle (Flashie) when she was babysitting us when my folks were out-of-town. She fostered my love of shoes. She loves me and is a continuing inspiration. She has never discussed her infertility with me or the process she and my grandfather went through to adopt, but she in an unspoken way has lent her support to me. She doesn’t know all the details of our struggles, but I know she prays for us. She just celebrated her 90th birthday and is going strong. She is active with a nursing home she volunteers at, still lives at home on her own, and is an active member in her church. She helps out with all the great-grandkids and is involved in all of our lives. She is a great grandma and I love her.