It’s my mom’s birthday today.

And because it’s my blog, I’m going to be off-topic today and tell you the things I appreciate about her. Since my mom reads my blog every day, this will be like a very, very wordy birthday card for her. 😉

She stayed home with my siblings and me

I’m so grateful that I got to spend my childhood at home. Of course, I didn’t spend every waking hour at home (contrary to popular opinion, homeschooling families do sometimes venture away from their houses!), but a lot of my time was spent there, and I consider that to be a happy thing. I liked being at home with my family and never once did I wish I could go to daycare or school…home is a good place to be.

She taught me to work hard

My mom is a fairly no-nonsense person, and being delicate, faint, or lazy just wouldn’t fly in her house. I think this was a perfect fit for me because left to myself, I’d probably have tended toward being kind of a wuss. 😉 So, though I didn’t necessarily appreciate it at the time, I’m glad my mom made me work hard. I never think that manual labor is just for boys, or that getting sweaty and tired is out of my realm.

She taught me to do things well

I remember one time I sewed a zipper into a skirt I was making when I was 13 or 14, and it didn’t come very straight. I was kind of unhappy that she thought I should rip it out and redo it (I’m pretty sure I cried about it!), but obviously I remember to this day the idea that if you’re going to do something, you should try to do it well.

She taught me to persevere

Like any kid, there were a lot of times in my childhood when I wanted to quit when the going got tough. But my mom made me figure out my math problems, play the piano piece I thought I couldn’t, and keep pedaling when I wanted to stop. This perseverance has helped me so much in my adult life when I’ve faced trials and problems.

She helped me to be efficient and organized

I wouldn’t say my mom gave me a series of lessons on this, but when you live with someone who is efficient and organized, it can’t help but rub off on you a bit. 😉

She’s not obsessed with “fluffy” stuff

By fluffy, I mean stuff that’s not very important…like manicures, pedicures, shopping, clothing and so on. Not that there’s anything wrong with that kind of thing, but I appreciate that that kind of stuff is not a primary focus of hers.

She taught me that it’s more than ok for girls to think

My mom is not one to encounter something hard or confusing and say, “Ohhh (giggle, giggle), that’s just waaay too complicated for me!”. She tries to figure things out by studying and thinking, and that’s what she taught my siblings and me to do, regardless of our sex. Because of this, I don’t often tend to think something is too hard for me to figure out.

She invests her time in things that matter

My mom has been an empty-nester for about 4 years now, and instead of spending her time selfishly, she’s been investing her time into other people. She directs a children’s choir at church, teaches a Bible study at church, teaches Latin and composition to my cousins and to my children, spends time with my dad, takes her grandchildren biking and camping, and so on.

My children all love her because she invests time and energy into their relationship and I appreciate that.

She loves God and is growing in her walk with Him

My mom has been a Christian since she was a little girl, but she’s not stagnating. She’s always learning and growing, and especially in the past 10-15 years or so, she’s changed quite a bit…I think she’s more focused on the gospel than ever, is understanding more and more what it means to live a gospel-centered life, and is more focused on how much that matters and how other things don’t matter as much (like the style of worship music).

Happy Birthday, Mother! I’m glad God picked you to be my mom. 🙂

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