Things I learned from my Mother

This Mother's Day I have thought a little bit about the things I have learned from my mother. I thought I would share them here.

1. CARE FOR OTHERS.

My mom has all her life had a desire to serve others. This has taken her to a lot of places she would not have ordinarily gone in her life. The first real service I remember was when the Westerman family lived next door to us. This family was a real piece of work with a father who had his paycheck drunk before he got home from work. When the family got sick, my mom went to care for them even though that meant that she would get hepatitis and be sick for years. Later that would be translated into efforts to see that people who didn't look like us enjoyed the same rights we do. She became an advocate for people affected by the nuclear testing of the 50's and 60's. She now can often be found at the food bank helping those who have lost their jobs be able to provide for their families.

2. IT'S OK TO LAUGH ... EVEN IF YOU'RE THE MOM

When I was 11 or 12, I was getting ready for church and polishing my shoes on the white painted stairs. As I pulled the dauber out of the bottle ( shoe polish then was liquid, like paint), about a fourth of the bottle came flying out, and down the stairs. My mother was not very happy with me - and she let me know it. After cleaning up the mess, she sat down with me, took the bottle of shoe polish, and said " Here is how you do it!". As she pulled the dauber out, shoe polish went flying out and all over the stairs. I was horrified. Did this mean I was going to be in even more trouble now that the same thing had happened to her? I looked to her, she looked at me, and she started laughing. We sat there on the stairs, laughing till we cried. That's when I knew I had a pretty cool mom.

3. JOY WITH FAMILY

Things for my Mom haven't been easy. Living life for her has often been one battle after another ( or should I say, one hospital after another). She still has to have regular visits to the doctor where she is given another opportunity to stay on this earth, yet I never hear her complain about how hard it is. All my life I have known that being with her family was a conscious choice. Knowing that my Mom chose to be here with us has affected every part of my life and taught me to appreciate my own children and grandchildren.

4. THERE IS BEAUTY ALL AROUND

Maybe this came from her father, who used to chase sunsets to get the perfect picture . My mother can find beauty in every place or thing. She taught us to enjoy the world that God created and to appreciate it for the beauty it contains. We could go to the desert or the mountains and we didn't have to exploit the landscape to enjoy it. I am sure the idea of taking a dirtbike up a hillside , or speeding around on a four-wheeler never occured to her. She did get caught a few times trying to bring the desert home to her yard. In my garden, I like to grow vegetables. They are so ... useful. I have to have a corner for my wildflowers, though; and that comes from her.

All of these things I have learned from my Mother. There are many more, but those will have to wait for another time. Happy Mother's Day, Mom. I love you.