Anyway, back to the point...Mama K's birthday! Although I don't get to see her today, we do get to do lunch tomorrow when she's in Ames for an appointment, and I have always loved that our birthdays are near the Thanksgiving holiday so we always get to see each other at some point in the next week or so. I was born a week after her birthday, 29 years ago. Wowza...I'm getting up there! I remember reading the journal she kept during her pregnancy and thinking:
1. Who goes to get ice cream when their water breaks?
2. My mother is a great writer, I can really feel her emotions when reading her entries (probably why I got the bug to write at such a young age).
3. I'm so glad that she kept a record of this for me to read later in life.
See, that's how my mom is with everything. Even 29 years ago she was writing that journal and I'm sure she was thinking that it would be fun for me to have one day...she's always thinking of other people, she's always so good at "getting" the significance of sentimental things, and always trying to make other people smile with her thoughtful gifts or homemade cards sent just to cheer you up. Yes, she still sends me real mail...she loves me :)
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| The Bean in Chicago |
She sends me a Valentines card every year too...one year I didn't get one and called asking about it. She didn't think I would care if I got a Valentine from my mom since I was 27 years old....psh, I look forward to that thing every year! No matter if I have a significant other or not, or was in a good relationship or not, I always have my mom to give me a snail mail hug and kiss on Valentines Day.
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| I love her to pieces :) |
She also gives the best hugs this side of...well, anywhere. I don't know if she got it from my grandma, or if it's just a mom thing, but those two can hug, let me tell you. It's like their arms somehow make a little love envelope for me to crawl into, and their necks and crevices are there for my arms and chin to fit perfectly into, and I don't ever want to get out of a Grandma or Mom hug whenever I get in there. I'm sure it looks a little odd, we will just stand there and chit chat in mid-hug swaying back and forth because no one wants to let go.
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| Grandma Theda and I a couple Thanksgivings ago... |
I should probably thank Grandma Theda for my 8th grade dance outfit too. It was a black silk skirt with big purple 70's style flowers on it and a purple top....and I just LOVED it. And Mom just HATED it. I didn't have a job in 8th grade (child labor laws and all) so it was up to her to purchase my outfit...and I begged, and begged, and begged for it. She wasn't having it, and then she just switched her tune and said to go ring it up. I wasn't going to ask questions, I ran up to the register at The Buckle in Carroll as fast as I could! Only later did I find out that Grandma had done the same thing for Mom...except hers was a pair of shoes I believe. Hideous to Grandma, and Mom was going to die without them. They left the store and went home and to Mom's surprise...the shoes were at the house the next day. Grandma went back and got them for her after she saw how much she loved them. I will always remember that 8th grade dance outfit for that reason...I can't even remember the dance, but the outfit is ingrained in my memory. I guess that means if my kid wants to wear a squirrel on their back, I have to pay it forward?
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| You can't really see the skirt but you get the gist... |
Besides her exceptional hugging ability and her willingness to do pretty much anything for anyone just to make their day better, I truly (and am not saying this just because she's my mom) think that she is almost too good of a person...if there is such a thing. She is the most caring individual I have ever met in all my 29 years...if she's having the worst day of her life and breaks down to me, she apologizes to me for bothering me. If she's busier than a one armed paper hanger, she will drop whatever she's doing if I need to talk. If she has a friend who is having a baby or getting married or some other huge event in their life, it's not uncommon for her to spend hours making a handmade gift perfectly for them because she cares so much. She is someone who we could all learn from actually....true friends are the ones who do the big things and the small things for you, the ones who spend the time to make you smile.
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| Don't take life too seriously, folks... |
She is actually the main reason I want to have children. The relationship I have with my mother is unlike a lot of people I know, she truly is one of my best friends and I talk to her about a lot of things most people wouldnt discuss with their mothers. She is so supportive of anything I am doing or am going through, yet doesn't judge me if she doesn't agree with something. I am so grateful to have had her in my life growing up and feel even more blessed to have the close knit relationship I have with her as an adult. I can't imagine my life without her, and don't know how I will ever go about losing her sometime down the road, but I do know that I want to be what she's been to me to someone else...I can't imagine not passing down the love, generosity, compassion, and stability she has given to me throughout the years. It will not be wasted on me....it will continue on through my family. I love you more than words can express, Mama K!!
You made me teary!!! Love Aunt Shari so so so much! She is very much like Grandma Theda. They think of others before themselves. We are so lucky to have them as examples in our lives! Love you all!!!
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