My Mom

With Mother's Day approaching, I've been thinking about my own beautiful mother. I'm so thankful for her and have so many fond memories with her. Growing up, she read to me at night from books like Little Women, Pollyanna, The Secret Garden, or Anne of Green Gables.  She cooked family dinners for us even though she must have been exhausted from teaching all day. She's been there for every big moment in my life (and is there for all of the small ones too via emails and phone calls).  She leaves cute little notes around the house for me to find after she goes home from a visit, and she sends care packages in the mail so I know that she's thinking about me. She cooks with me at Christmastime, and we curl up on the couch together to watch White Christmas each year. And she's nice enough to write down her recipes for me so that I can make them while I'm far away from home.

Since so many of my memories with my mom involve books or food, is it any wonder that those are two of my favorite things? Though as a child, I used to tell Mom that I had no interest in cooking, and that I would just have to marry a man who would cook for me. She would smile and say "Ok, honey. That's a good idea."

When I excitedly told her of my new-found love of cooking after studying abroad in France, Mom smiled as if she knew all along that this day would come. At last I've graduated from watching football with the guys to joining Mom and Grandmom in the kitchen to help cook holiday feasts and family dinners. It's a lot of work, but it's so much fun watching them cook, lending a hand, and learning the family recipes and traditions (Example: If rolls are on the menu, someone must sit in a chair staring into the oven to ensure that they don't burn. We learned this the hard way).

Thank you Mom for helping make me the woman I am today and for providing me with such a beautiful example of the woman I strive to be!

(Card from Rifle Paper Co.)

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mother's out there!