What a better way to show love for your mom, then to write a tribute to mom blog!  If you are a young mom this will give you hope for your future joys and if you are a child this will be a hint as to what your mom wants from you!

Happy Birthday Mom,

I have come to better understand your joys, the older my children have gotten.  The other day your 18 year old grandson needed shoes and asked if I would go shopping with him.  We went and looked for shoes, tried on a few (read 2) pair and I convinced him (easily) to let me buy him both pairs!  I was so full of joy in that moment and then I remembered the joy you had taking me shopping for way more than 2 pairs of shoes and how much you loved that!  You are a generous mom and I thank you for teaching me generosity! P.S.  I’ll shop with you anytime  

Today is your birthday.  It’s a milestone birthday, a bit older than 50 but not 90:)  And today you are cooking the family a full on Thanksgiving Dinner.  As I pondered the political correctness of you cooking a feast on your birthday, you reminded me it wouldn’t be the first time you cooked on your birthday and what you wanted most was to have the family together.

I know that your greatest joy is your family. You love your two kids and your grandchildren more than anything else.  To have everyone gathered at the table, full of love and laughter, exhibits the picture of the very reason to live.  

Today, we celebrate you and the love you have given us all.  We honor you with our love for each other and we bring you happiness by letting you cook the turkey, while we eat dip. It’s so crazy but I get it!  You are a mom and you will always be mom.  Cook on!

You love when your family gathers in the same pew at church.  There is really nothing more like seeing the smiles, hearing the giggles and worshiping your savior.  You have taught me that devotion to Jesus is number one and that cousins trying to get kicked out of Christmas Eve service is number two.  HAHA!  Seriously, though, you brought our WHOLE family together every Christmas Eve to a church service where you played the organ and we worshiped the Savior.  You somehow still draw all us “heathens” in the family to church, out of tradition and I believe it is out of tradition that relationship is born.  Jesus will get them all yet….Every knee will bow and every cousin, aunt, brother, sister and uncle will shake their head and laugh someday!

You love dad.  He had surgery the night before Thanksgiving this year and you tended to his needs.  You postponed the family gathering in lieu of loving the man God gave you to tend.  Thank you for your perseverance and dedication to marriage.  You are an example to us all on how to love well, even when loving well is hard to do.   Dad made the best decision of his life when he picked you to be his bride and for that I’m thankful!

Thank you for teaching us what to love, what is important and where to place our energy. You are wise and beautiful and when I grow up I want to be just like you!

Looking forward to that feast today!  Thank you for your selfless love of our family!

I Love  You!

Tracy