In Honor of My Mom

Seven years ago this past Monday (June 1st), my mom passed away. She was such a wonderful mom and such a special lady and remembering her reminds me of a lot of good things in life. One of which was all of her beautiful flowers. She definitely had a green thumb, which I was fortunate enough to have received from her. She gave me this beautiful Christmas cactus for my birthday the year before she died. It has bloomed over and over and over again and every time it does, I think of my mom. She gave me a love for plants, a love for music, a love for children, a love for gardening, a love for the simple things in life. She usually had a beautiful smile on her face (when she wasn't yelling at one of us eight kids!). I know she would have absolutely adored all three of my grandbabies! Oh, how I wish she could have met them all, but I am sure she is watching from heaven and enjoying herself seeing them anyway! She was also a real giver - of herself, of her time, of her talents (piano playing being the most famous for her), her food (she was definitely a food pusher!), and of her laughter. So many times I wondered how she did all the things she did in her life. She was a remarkable woman, not to mention a wonderful wife to my dad and a fantastic mother to us kids. My dad loved her so very much and until his dying day, he couldn't say enough good about her and all she had done for him. They set a wonderful example for us kids. Oh sure, they had their moments, just like we all do, but overall, they were deeply in love with one another and loved each other until the end. I remember when she met Mike (my own husband) for the first time - she met him the night before I did - and came home and told me what a looker he was! How's that for motherly advice?? She always liked Mike and couldn't resist teasing him once in a while when we were dating, even though he was a very shy teenage boy at that time. All my pictures of my mom are old ones and none are digital, so I don't have a good one to post here, but wanted to at least show something that reminds me of her. I am so thankful for the 70 years she was on earth, even though it seems that she was way too young to die when she did. She missed my dad so very much after he died (10 months earlier than she did). She was lonesome and wanted to be with him. I know she could have gone on without him, but she had given almost 50 years of her life to him and that was pretty much all she knew when he passed away before her. I thank God every day for the family I was able to grow up in. I know it is a blessing that many people don't have, and I know it is a very special thing. Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to have such a special mom.