she makes everything beautiful

happy birthday to my dearest mother whom i love

at my most recent birthday party we went around the circle and everyone said something nice about me (probably my idea). two of my friends said their favorite thing about me is my mom.

on her 22nd birthday

she's my favorite thing about me too. because the older i get the more i realize that i am becoming her. a trend i hope will continue.

my mom taught me to appreciate, love, and have passion for the world around me. she makes everything beautiful. i remember taking sunday drives through various canyons surrounding the salt lake valley to look at the turning leaves. mom would audibly exclaim and gush about the beauty of the colors. sometimes i thought her enthusiasm embarrassing, but then i found myself doing the exact same thing as i reveled in the nature and beauty of the Lake District.

i've also inherited my mom's love for 'classy' or pretty things. our house was always immaculate. when we set the table we were never allowed to put a jar of something on the table; each condiment or side dish was (is) put in a glass bowl with a serving spoon. i love her attention to detail and her refusal to conform to casual attitudes. she's taught me the importance of avoiding casualty in treatment of Church assignments, appearance, and most importantly the treatment of others. her family and her devotion to it is of uppermost importance. she always sends encouraging cards, calls at exactly the right time, and is open in expressing her love and pride in all of us children. i've never doubted that my mother loves me and was that she spared no effort in making me know that every action and advice stems from that love.


i feel like this is turning into an essay. but seriously. my mom is my best friend. she hasn't always been. but we met halfway, learning from one another, and i learned that she really does know everything and it would be best if i would listen to her (she's yet to be wrong). she is my mom when i need that swift kick in the pants and she is my best friend when i call her hysterical after some school/boy/work/general breakdown drama. she listens unjudgingly to everyone of my rants whether it be the use expletives in literature or if i'll ever find "that guy". i love her openness. she is so free in her expressions of love, gratitude, and her testimony. i love her passion for literature, movies, music, history and nature that have shaped who i am and what i love. she is a hopeless romantic and she constantly reminds me that romance exists and that it is possible to be madly and irrevocably in love as she and my daddy are.

she is unshaken in her faith and because of this i always know things will work out. she has taught me thorugh her example that the Lord knows us and everything in our life, even the hells we go through can be for our benefit if we always incorporate the Atonement, serve others, and recognize God's hand in everything.

i hope i continue to become my mother. i would consider it the pinnacle of success. as a woman, as a member of the Church, as a wife, as a mother, and as a friend.

i love you mom. i'm sorry this isn't the best writing but i am so grateful for you and become more and more aware everyday of how irreplaceable you are in my life.

happy birthday!