Gratitude Friday…

It’s time for another birthday celebration! Tomorrow is my mom’s birthday!!! She’ll be celebrating in Auburn which as far as I’m concerned is the best place to celebrate pretty much anything. I hate we won’t be there with her but we’ll be cheering along in spirit!

In honor of Mom, here are the five things I am most grateful for about my mom:

1. Education – Mom got married at 18. Not much time there to squeeze in a college education. So after she’d had two kids, she went to school and got her degree in early childhood education. She taught several years and then went back to get her master’s degree. At night. Taught kindergarteners all day, went to school and then came home to teenagers. Sainthood right there. Then after she’d married us both off, she got her national teacher certification. I am so darn proud of her for continuing to learn and grow. She taught me anything’s possible with hard work.

2. Guess Jeans – Mom didn’t have a whole lot growing up. She didn’t want the same for us. Now, we didn’t get everything we wanted but honestly, we didn’t hurt for much. When the craze was Guess jeans tight-rolled around the ankles, Mom bought me a pair and then washed and hung them to dry so the inseam wouldn’t shirk. It was hard for us tall chics to tight roll jeans when Guess wasn’t making tall sizes but Mom did everything she could. I wasn’t the most fashionable girl at Riverchase Middle but I managed not to get made fun of for my clothes. And to a middle school girl, that’s huge. Mom got that.

Sorry, no picture of us with the jeans. Thankfully. Because do we really need to document tight rolling for all eternity?

3. In Sickness – My poor dad’s been sick off and on since I was 10. God love him, he’s been blessed with the sickness card in the game of life. But Mom’s been there every step of the way. It breaks my heart to watch Chris suffer through a head cold. I cannot image how difficult it was to see your husband in ICU. On top of that, she sat by her mother’s bedside as she died of cancer. Helped Granddaddy a few years later as he left this world. She’s just a rock and the backbone of strength in our family.

4. Fitness – During the year Mom spent working on her National Board Certification, she gained a little weight. It’s understandable. Getting that took some serious dedication and more than a little chocolate to make it through. But once she was done, she tackled the weight gain like she does everything else in life. With a vengeance. Now she’s lost the weight and is running circles around me. Just another example of what can be done with hard work!

5. Family – We’re not a big family. In fact, most of our family went home to heaven years ago. But I never felt like we were missing something. Mom (and Dad) worked hard to keep us close. We had dinner at the kitchen table. Spent Saturdays doing chores all together. Went to church every time the doors opened. Talked about what was going on in the world around us. They created a home for us where even though there was school and illness and teenage drama we always felt safe and loved inside.

Mom, you are such a blessing and a gift. Have a wonderful weekend of celebration!!! Love you, Robin, Chris and E!!!!