I’m always just a little bit behind… Story of my life. However, I couldn’t let Mother’s Day come and go without expressing my appreciation for my own mother.  Growing up in Idaho Falls, every time we’d go to the store my mom would run into someone that “knew her.” It was always fun for us to watch as the anxiety driven look crept across my mom’s face. She knew she should know the person from somewhere, but how and who escaped her. She had the very courteous smile and nod and would be genuinely interested in the things this person was telling her. After they would walk away we would smile and say, “So, who was that?” This didn’t just happen occasionally, it was quite frequent. We couldn’t go to the store without someone stopping my mom for a hug. The problem came from the fact that everyone loves my mom. While she does have a terrible memory for placing names with faces, it was so hard for her to remember all of the people that she met and touched on a day to day basis.

For 8 years I was the baby of the family. My mom thought I would be her last kid, despite her desire for more. I’m surprised I ever learned to walk, I never needed to, my mom carried me everywhere. On the occasion that her friends saw her without me, they were nervous that she had been separated from her siamese twin.

We did everything together. I remember going to my brother and sisters’ schools where she was the room mom. I would sit in the corner and just watch my mom at work. She is such a crafty lady and was always coming up with great ideas for classroom parties.

Through out the years I have learned so much from my mom. It never amazes me the things she knows. Once while at a class party for my sister, I had glue all over my hands. I hate having dirty hands. She came over and taught me to just rub them together and the glue would fall off. It was then that I knew my mom was the most brilliant woman on the planet. Lessons with glue were not the only things I have learned from her, however. She taught me compassion for people from all walks of life. While I will never be as compassionate a person as my mom, I do have a great example of what to aspire to. She has taught me to ALWAYS put my phone on Silent, or else it’ll play Bob Marley “Red Red Wine” during Sacrament Meeting at Church. Coincidentally, she has also taught me how to pretend like it isn’t my phone and to blame my daughter. I can’t wait till I have my own kid to blame. I have learned that there isn’t anything in the world that mom can’t make better. Feeling stressed, nervous, anxious or even sad, I know my mom will always make me see the positive in things and help me change my attitude. Most importantly, she taught me that a good mom always supports her children and loves them unconditionally.

And for that, I will always love my Momma.