I love this picture of my Mom and Dad. They both look happy. I took it a few years back when we were home for the summer. We were all out by the pond—canoeing, swimming, riding 4-wheelers and relaxing. My Mom loves to drive around the place on a 4-wheeler. For years, my kids called her “The 4-wheeler Grandma”. I don’t know many Grandmas with that title. She’s a wonderful Mom and Grandma. She is a Mom to seven children—4 boys and 3 girls. We have learned how to have fun, work, and function in life thanks to her.
One memory I have is when I was 8 years old she took me to horse 4-H camp. I was not officially old enough to go, but because she went I got to go too, that was a BIG deal for me—I’m sure her memories of that camp were not very good, but for me it was GREAT. I was the little kid who felt big. She would ride horses with us—I don’t know if she even liked it. I guess that is what Moms do sometimes.
It seems like she was always dressing us up and taking pictures for a little play or a book she was writing. I enjoyed her little projects. I learned to sew by watching her and then she’d let me loose with her fabric and supplies. I’m sure she had to re-thread the machine countless times and would help me out when I got the machine jammed. We had a little job chart with envelopes where she put little index cards with our jobs that we had to do. I loved to finish a job and then turn the card around to show it was complete. We also had AMAZING Halloween parties. Each would have a “theme” and she would go ALL out. We had a good life.
I remember, like it was yesterday when my Young Women leaders would talk about how fast time goes and that we would all be married and have kids of our own “before we knew it!” That always bugged me—not that I didn’t want that in the future, but at the time, it was the last thing on my mind. As much as I hate to admit it, they were right.
About a month ago I was doing a health assessment at Eastman and the man was asking about my general health and when he asked me how old I was I started to laugh—the only thing that came to my mind was “23” and I knew I had to be older than that. I could remember the year I was born and so with some quick math I was able to give an accurate answer. I’m sure the man thought I was a little strange.
The other day I was out in the garage and as I walked by the van I was totally overwhelmed (in a good way) by my circumstances. I am married, have 7 children, live in a nice big house, drive a 12-passenger van, and I am the Bishop’s wife (a title I cringe at—because of the stereotype that goes with it-- that I feel I do not fit). I wondered how all of this happened so fast and almost felt like I was an outsider looking in. The past 20 years has flown by. It’s crazy though for me to realize that I’m no longer a newly-wed or a young mother with 2 kids. I have a WHOLE family.
I’m a Mom to 7 kids—4 boys and 3 girls—just like my Mom! I have the same little job chart with the envelopes, just the other day I was re-threading the sewing machine for Grace, and we have a closet full of dress-up clothes. I just hope that I am creating a home like the one that I grew up in. I guess that as time goes on I realize that I am becoming just like my Mom. And I don’t mind it a bit!
Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. I love you!
With Grandma and Grandpa at Netherland Inn
