My Mother is an amazing woman. She is very artistic. She has painted every painting that hangs in my parent’s home except one.
She raised all seven of us well, and I am not sure she had a lot to work with. She continually teaches us the Gospel and a love for others. She taught us that Heavenly Father loves each of His children, and no one was created any better than another. My parents have been there for each of us, despite so many children, and so many of life’s challenges. My Mom connects with each one of us in a personal, special way, even though we can be so different.
I now see the way she loves and cares for her many daughter-in-laws and her 20 grandchildren. She did not raise these women and she did not bear these children, but she loves and nurtures each as her own. She has never been selfish with those she loves, and she wants nothing more than for us to be surrounded by others who love us as she does. It means so much to me when I see the way that she nurtures and loves my wife and children. She is always worried about the happiness of others.
My Mom is not a public figure by any means. In fact, she probably prefers to stay near the shadows. She quietly serves people and gets to know people in a very personal way. She can see the human heart more than almost anyone I know, and seems to sense the feelings of others.
Each holiday, big or small, my Mom spends countless hours designing and creating a card for each of our families. Each one is beautiful and has a sweet message or poem. Below are just a few that we have received.
She hurried to finish and mail off this Valentine’s Day card the first week of February. I received it the day after she was admitted to the hospital for surgery for stomach cancer. In the surgery, they removed her stomach, her spleen, and one-fourth of her pancreas. When I saw the card laying in the mailbox, I cried. I could not believe that my angel Mother, in extreme pain, could only think of her children and grandchildren. When I mentioned it to my Dad, he said that she couldn’t sleep because she was so sick. I found out that she had made the cards in-between running to the bathroom to vomit.
Whenever I have visited her, I have asked her how she was doing. She has given a very brief response and then asked how Ashley is feeling, how the pregnancy is going, and how we are doing. Another time, she interrupted me and asked if we were excited to be having a boy. She is now home from the hospital and seems to be doing very well. She will start chemo and radiation therapy in about a month. My heart aches to think of her in any pain, but she is one of the strongest women I know, and I am extremely hopeful. She is a fighter and she has already overcome things that I thought were impossible at the time.
I am so grateful for my Mother. I love and appreciate her more than words can say. Through this tough time, we will all be here for her, just as she has always been there for us.
