Happy Birthday Mom!

“Hey mom, “I’m home!” These were always the first words coming out of my mouth whenever I ran through our front door. The door was never locked, the house was never empty. Our house was always filled with children and noise and there was always a mother who would answer, “I’m here!”

If I had a great day I would come bursting through the house with excitement ready to tell my mom everything. If I had a particularly bad day I knew I had someone to talk to and a shoulder to cry on. When I came home one day from Junior High upset over an incident with some other kids, my mom was there to listen. And when I came home from girl’s camp visibly distressed because the older girls had stolen the younger girls bras and hung them on the flag pole and dumped corn syrup on their hair…my mom let me sit on her lap and cry.

When I was sixteen and had only had my driver’s license for a week, my mom had warned me to be careful about pulling out of my friend’s driveway. I waved my “okay” as I ran out the door. Later, when I dropped off my friend and pulled out of her driveway, I backed right into someone’s brand new parked car. I cried all the way home. My mom comforted me and never said, “I told you so.”

Of course I shared the good times too. When I got asked out on my first date I gushed excitedly to my mom. Through my high school years I remember shopping for prom dresses, trying on dress after dress until we found the perfect one. After each date I would come into my mom’s room and sit on the edge of her bed and tell her all about it. She was always there to listen and was interested in all of the details.

I shared my excitement when I succeeded academically or did well in a track or cross county race or drama competition. I was thrilled to share the good news with my mom when I made certain college music groups that I had auditioned for or when I landed a desired job. She was there when I learned where I would be going to serve a mission for my church, and was supportive in helping me graduate from college. Some of the accomplishments were big and others were small, but my mom was always there to celebrate with me.

Of course I always spent many hours discussing boys. I cried on the phone to my mom from college when I was dumped for the first time and later excitedly chattered on when I got asked out by a new guy that I liked. My mom helped me through all of the many stresses and ups and downs of those exhilarating but emotional dating years. When I was engaged, my mom was there every step of the way and did everything she could to make my wedding day perfect!

Several months later when my husband and I learned that I was expecting, I couldn’t wait to tell my mom. Later on when I was in the hospital giving birth to each of my children, we would call my mom. How comforting it was just to hear her voice! As soon as they could, she and my dad would travel several hours to come and stay with us for a few days in order to help with the new baby and other children. She would often bring loads of library books to read to our kids and help my boys pass off scout requirements. She would spend hours in the kitchen preparing all sorts of yummy meals and home-made bread. I enjoyed all of our long talks about anything and everything!

As I look back on my life, I see a mom who always said, “I’m here.” Even now, although several hundred miles apart, I will often receive an e-mail with encouraging words that seem to say those sweet words, “I’m here.” Just like my mom, I hope and pray that I too will always “be here” for my children. Happy Birthday Mom -- I love you!