Happy Mother's Day

God could not be everywhere,

Therefore he created Mothers

Jewish Proverb

My mother and I on a cruise - July 2010

As is the mother, so is her daughter – Ezekiel 16:4

Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful Mother!!  I am so blessed - and very proud of you too!!  

 There are SO many things which I appreciate and admire about you that I never put into words over the years.  Here are just 100 of them, but there are thousands and thousands more….

I appreciate/admire/thank you for:

1.       Your work as a teacher...in my life and in the lives of many others.

2.       Your work in the Adult Education Department, supporting the dreams of adults and  challenging them to do their best.   Your encouragement meant the world to many!

3.       Your work in the Curriculum Department, providing your expertise in the needs of Adult Education.

4.       Instilling your strong values in your children and grandchildren.

5.       Supporting us through help with school work and homework - and lots of it!

6.       Your ethics and morals….which are being passed on to your grandchildren.

7.       Sewing costumes (many at the last minute).

8.       For providing braces and root canals and glasses.

9.       Your gift of a college education for me.

10.   Your support of the church and working with the children’s programs as well as Sunday Schools and Vacation Bible Schools.

11.   Your advice and wisdom and counsel .

12.   For encouraging my love of books and for the many, many visits to the library.

13.   For the time spent taking us to doctor’s visits, dentists, orthodontists, eye doctors, etc…

14.   For chauffeuring to dance and school and baton and all the millions of trips in the car…just for us.

15.   For making chocolate chip cookies, homemade ice cream and cupcakes and teaching me how to make them too!   (Also for snow cream and hot chocolate on wintry days!)

16.   For getting up every morning to make us a HOMEMADE breakfast – not just cereal!

17.   Putting and serving others before yourself.

18.   Raising us in a Godly manner and in church.

19.   Living so that your family KNOWS that you love them.

20.   For all the prayers you said for us.

21.   Loving Daddy – 52 years is a shining example of true love and commitment.

22.   Your determination and dedication to your family.

23.   For teaching us to be practical and to think before we act.

24.   For taking thousands of pictures which showed how important we are to you.

25.   For your unending devotion to your children and grandchildren.

26.   Your Christian faith and example  - and leading me to give my heart to the Lord. 

27.   For teaching us right from wrong.

28.   For giving us an appreciation of education which will span generations.

29.   For always expecting the best from us.

30.   Your BEAUTIFUL eyes!!  J

31.   For your encouragement and support in all situations.

32.   For being a Godly woman and teaching me by example.

33.   For staying home with us while we were growing up and putting our welfare above working outside of the home.

34.   Loving all of us through both the good and the bad…

35.   Your dedication to Mamaw and the help and care that you gave to her.

36.   Supporting Grandmother Holt when she needed you most and helping to care for both Grandmother and Granddaddy when they were sick.   

37.   For making holidays and birthdays special and for all the work and effort it took.

38.   Your giving heart in buying us presents.

39.   Teaching me about being creative through your painting and crafts.

40.   Making it fun to see what clothes you bought and laid on my bed for me.

41.   Loving your brothers and sisters and their families and showing your love to them – unselfishly.   Showing us by example the value of extended family. 

42.   Helping us all financially when we needed it.

43.   For teaching me HOW to love my children.

44.   For working so hard to get your college diploma, then continuing on to get your Masters, then your EDS.  It’s very impressive, especially since you had three children at home while you were doing it!

45.   Your ability to share everything you have with us.

46.   For tolerating me during my teenage years of irrational-ness! J

47.   Cooking for every activity,  especially when I needed to bring snacks and cookies at the last minute…

48.   For a surprise birthday party when I turned 18 – and inviting my friends!

49.   Teaching us about life in Pickwick and for Root Beer Floats!

50.   Making homemade pizzas, which were better than any pizza parlor!

51.   Making sure that chocolate covered cherries are always a part of my Christmas present!

52.   Making our birthdays special by allowing us to choose our meals and making us feel like royalty for the day.

53.   Helping me sew curtains for the first time and giving me the confidence that I COULD work with 42 yards of fabric!

54.   Helping out when Chad and Josh were born.  I could NOT have done it without you!

55.   For knowing what to do when Chad stopped breathing and when Josh and Chad both had asthma.

56.   Buying baby clothes and toys and fun things for Chad and Josh.

57.   Your trust in us which has allowed us to trust in ourselves.

58.   Your help in decorating and arranging our MANY homes! 

59.   For tolerating slumber parties, girl scouts, prom dresses and sorority events.

60.   For decorating the upstairs game room with “TEEN” items including colorful carpet and beads in the doorway.

61.   For providing a beautiful wedding for me and for spending the money to give me the wedding of my dreams.

62.   Giving us a love and appreciation for travel – all over the world!

63.   For surprising me with a special headboard when we lived on Sturgeon – making me feel like a princess!

64.   Becoming a travel/cruise expert and working at the travel agency.  We are proud of your knowledge and your help.

65.   Teaching us to be “CRUISERS”!!  Travel is fun on a ship!

66.   For your ability to shop and find very good bargains.

67.   For showing your kindness to those less fortunate and for treating everyone with respect.   

68.   Sitting through many recitals and competitions and parades and rehearsals and programs... 

69.   Being an example of a good friend – and for keeping in touch with lifelong friends.

70.   Accepting and loving Charley as an “adopted” son.

71.   Loving me “just as I am” and supporting our decisions (both good and bad ones). 

72.   Helping with our boys, traveling with them, keeping them when we traveled, supporting them and loving them.

73.   Dressing up as Mr. and Mrs. Pickpocket at Fox Meadows - What fun!

74.   Seeing the value in me taking gymnastics, baton, guitar, dance, piano, jazz, voice, modeling, clarinet & piano lessons!   (Just to name a few!)  

75.   Passing on your quest for knowledge and desire to learn about the world around us.   

76.   Your intelligence!

77.   Cooking and cleaning and washing and ironing and making sure that WE had pride in our home where we lived.  All of your work taught us to take care of our possessions too.

78.   Your generosity with those around you.

79.   Your ability to reach a balance in life, between family and home and church and work and others…

80.   Your ability to guide me when I need it (and I will always need it)

81.   For sending me to charm school!  J

82.   Sacrificing so that we could live in a nice home and take great vacations.Thank you for scrimping and budgeting to give us the things that we needed AND wanted.

83.   Showing us the value of voting – and for campaigning and working the polls. 

84.   Sharing your love for missions and for serving others.

85.   Providing trendy clothes, costumes and shoes and all the "girly" things you allowed me to have…And for all the shopping trips where you hung everything back up for me!

86.   For letting me get my ears pierced and talking Daddy into letting me too! J

87.   For accepting my friends.

88.   For your support as we move around the world.

89.   For accepting Charley’s family and including them in your life too.

90.   For being a wonderful, loving, caring, fabulous Nana.  

91.   Your positive thinking and your inspiration that we can accomplish whatever we set our minds to do - and for your pride in us.  

92.   Your support of my (sad) gardening efforts, even since I didn't inherit your green thumb!

93.   For raising a well-adjusted daughter! J

94.   For giving us wonderful childhood memories of time on the lake in Pickwick and Selmer. 

95.   For loving both sets of families (Holts and Landrums) equally and caring for them above and beyond.

96.   For teaching us to accept people over possessions.

97.   For making us feel that we are important to you.

98.   For allowing me to have pink shag carpet and a pink and purple room – and for designing the most beautiful bedroom imaginable to grow up in…

99.   For my wonderful canopy bed that made me feel special and all the French provincial furniture that went along with it.

100.  For handling life’s difficulties with grace and strength.

And most of all - Thank you for loving me, for providing for me, for teaching me and guiding me and for your unconventional love.  I am lucky to be your daughter!

For I am my Mother’s daughter

Of that I am proud to be

Special women that are the same, yet different

God blessed us with this family tree!

 Happy Mother’s Day!

I love you!