Mom

Today my mom is 73 years old. She is a young 73 years old. She is beautiful and fun and gracious and compassionate. She is an amazing cook...some of my personal favorites that she makes: barbecued pork chops, turnip greens, chicken dressing, cocoa and biscuits, cherry cake...I could go on but she makes so many things that I love. She loves her children and her grandchildren and great granchildren. She was the one we depended on when we were children. She taught us about Jesus. She also taught many other children about Jesus by teaching first grade Sunday school for many years. She was an excellent teacher who used many objects to tell us the stories. She even made a tiny coat of many colors that was just the right size for a first grader. It was made of jewel colored satin fabric and completely lined and we loved to try it on.
Her house is always fresh and clean....sheets dried on the line, bathroom sparkling and a kitchen used continually throughout the day and always tidied right after use. She ironed often when we were little.
Her garden is full of flowers and vegetables. She grows the very best tomatoes ever.
She loves the beach and would take us there as often as she could when we were little. She would pack our lunch and snacks and drinks and blankets and bathing suits and we would head out to play. She loved the sun and the water. She would walk on the beach or play in the water with us. I loved to hear her laugh while she played with us.
I wish many things for my mother on her 73rd birthday...first, I wish her many more birthdays. I wish for her...time to herself, a deeper presence of God's Spirit, peace, hope for the future and what it holds, time with her family and a chance to come visit me...okay, that last one was kind of selfish.
She has spent the last 18 months caring for my dad who had a stroke. He is a grouchy old man...well, he was a grouchy young man...so, not much has changed. But my mom takes excellent care of him..so excellent that he might end up being a very grouchy 100 year old. Mom, I love that you care for him...even if there doesn't seem to be any return for you. Jeff, Danny and I will owe you big time when this is all done. You have cared for all of us, even when weren't very loveable.
I hope that your birthday was just what you wanted it to be.