80 years young

My Mom turned 80 on June 21st...I was at girl's camp, but I still wanted to do a post dedicated to her. She is 80, and her strength and stamina are not what they used to be, but she is still going strong. This is a great blessing as longevity of life does not run in her family.  She is beautiful and bright and I am grateful for her example of gracious womanhood and righteousness.  (Cleanliness too, although I fear she thinks I am a lost cause in that respect.) She was the only daughter with three brothers.  She always excelled at the homemaking arts.  Even as a young girl her mother said she could clean better than her. Mom has always been a little hard on herself, but the truth of the matter is that she is like Mary Poppins-"practically perfect in every way".  She graduated from BYU with a degree in home economics, and she excels in that area.  She cooks better than anyone I know, she cares for and cleans her home with flair, and has sewn more dresses then she can probably count.  Not only did she sew for us as kids, but she has sewn choir dresses for my girls  and some of my nieces as well.  And just to note-she sewed them better than the "professional" that made them for the other girls in the choir.

She never shirked her responsibilities.  She always made us breakfast and dinner, she changed the sheets faithfully each week, laundry was always done, folded, ironed and put away.  She patiently encouraged each one of us to learn to play the piano, and told us we would regret it if we didn't.  All my sisters play well, except for me and I do regret it.  Yes I am the black sheep (it doesn't help that I went to Brazil, but I could have done better).  I so often leave laundry that needs to be folded or serve whatever for dinner, and then I think of my Mom...I am still learning from her example.

My mom has the ability to look beautiful no matter what she is doing.  She can work in the yard without getting dirty (a skill I did not inherit), and can wear white pants all day long without getting spots on them. Once a neighbor of theirs told me that Mom was the only person she knew who could look dressed up in a pair of sweats.  She still dresses classy and stylish and has always stayed thin and fit.  She still walks faithfully.  

The thing I admire most about my Mom is her example of righteousness.  She was and is faithful.  She always did her visiting teaching, she prepared lessons for weeks in advance, she crocheted booties and hats for the new babies in the ward, she went to Brazil twice without complaint and without knowing Portuguese and served faithfully alongside my Dad.  My Dad served in time consuming callings for all my growing up years, and I never, NEVER heard her complain.  He was gone a lot.  All day on Sunday, and most nights of the week.  In fact once a new member of our ward wanted to know who the nice lady was with the daughters who had the inactive husband.  She taught me much about being a supportive wife, and putting the Lord first.

Mom made me feel like I could do anything.  That I was talented and beautiful and capable.  She always knew when I was struggling (I was certain she was magic) and even more importantly was there for me when I was.  I will never forget coming home from school in tears and her dropping what she was doing to help me work through it.  She was always there for me when I needed her.

I feel much like the stripling warriors, I did not doubt as a child because my mother knew.  I feel extraordinarily blessed to be born into the home of a woman who loved the Lord and taught me to do the same.  For all this and so much more I celebrate 80 years of a wonderful and well lived life!