I can't possibly put into words how she has made me everything I am and ever will be, but I will highlight a few of the things I see and think about daily.
My mother has given me the single most important and defining thing in my life...the GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST. I owe her everything for that gift. She has braved a lonely road to obtain the gospel herself and in turn given it to each of her children. Being a convert she has had a bumpy road like any of us in this life, but no matter what happened along the way to get here...she is my saving grace every moment of everyday for giving me that sure knowledge.
My mother is human and has her faults...but to me, even those are beautiful because they have caused her to be the most humble woman I know. She has taught me that when I am weak, I must turn to the Lord. When I stumble, I must ask for help. When I fear, I must give it all to him. When I am hopeless, there is always hope in HIM. Mind you, those have often been hard for me to hear...but I look back on the plethora of times I heard this council and I am grateful for these lessons more than anything else.
My mother knows how to love. She knows how to love beyond fear, beyond pain, beyond trial, beyond everything. She has an ability to love that I often cannot fathom. I only hope someday to love the way she does...if I can have even a morsel of her heart I will be blessed beyond measure.
My mother knows how to laugh. I have never met a woman that can turn darkness into light like my mother. When in doubt laugh it out...when things get hard my mother has a special way with words. On more than one occasion, I have received a little note in the mail after a particularly downcast day that reads something like this:
Roses or Red
Violets are Blue
If I had more money,
I'd buy you a shoe
OR maybe some gumbo
OR chewy green glue
OR...OR High waisted pants
That came from afar
Where only one leg had glitter
and came stuffed in a jar
Or two red-headed pygmies
that danced on one leg
and memorized Gaelic and
spun plates on a peg
But whatever it might be
or possibly NOT
It will come once wrapped twice
and loved quite a lot.
I'm telling you, this woman gives Dr. Seuss a run for his money. Not to mention, I cry tears of complete joy every time I get one of these little gems. I save everyone of them and fully intend on giving them to my children one day.
My mother has instilled in me a love of music that has saved my life. Everything from Opera, a Good ole' Irish jig, a little Salsa here and there....and no road trip would be complete without a box of hot tamales and good n' plenties, an ice cold big gulp and COUNTRY TUNES blasting as we all freeze, bundled in blankets as the a/c reaches arctic temperatures and we all happily sing along to avoid frostbite on our lips.
My mother is the BEST COOK in the WORLD. No, no, really she is...trust me. Ask anyone I know...I am a complete food snob because my mother is such a good cook, that nothing else even comes close to comparing to it. I swear, that woman can make a gourmet meal out of 2 potatoes and a bottle of ketchup! So, since I can rarely eat out without being sorely disappointed, I have tried to follow in my mothers footsteps and attempt to be a goddess in the kitchen. I have a long way to go, but I can't tell you how happy it makes me to be in the kitchen cooking up a storm because some how I feel closer to her. It always reminds me of summer nights walking home from the field, smelling her food wafting out of the open windows, followed by an eclectic tune and walking into the kitchen only to find my mother inviting me to dance with her as she cooked. It's one of the few memories I can recall, but it is one of the sweetest ones.
But everyday when I long to be home in the warm, Florida sun, on my mother's porch eating a delicious homemade meal...I can't help but think of my ENTIRE family. My mother was a powerful influence in 5 other children's lives. These men and women are the best people I know and have taught me more about life than anyone else. My brothers are the best examples of men I could ever asked for. Jesse is an exceptional Father and one of the hardest working people I know. That man knows what it means to give literally EVERYTHING for your family. My Brother Jeremy is a pillar of faith that has always put the Lord first. His faith has been a light in the darkness more often than I can put into words. My Brother Dean has the kindest heart in world. He loves unconditionally and gives his all to everything he does. My baby Brother David is pure goodness. I have never met a man so free of guile in my life. And then my big sister, Eowyn, that woman embodies charity in every sense of the word...she is always helping someone or thinking of someone else. Not to mention, she is to this day, my role model for all things beautiful. And I get to be apart of this amazing family because of one woman... Leslie Henehan.
Mama, thank you for giving me everything and more...I am so blessed to be yours. I am my Mother's daughter..
Take a listen to the link above, my mother always tells me "Happiness Runs". She sang this song to me all growing up and continues to write it in all her letters.
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