let me tell you a little something about my mom. birthday = national holiday for the ences. you wake up and feel like a million dollars with your room and the bathroom decorated, walk downstairs to find a table full of confetti and crepe paper, a personalized, customized, hand-painted sign in the window, and crepes, hot and ready. growing up i'd always try and guess what "theme" my mom would use for each birthday :) i'd smile simply thinking about the hours and hours and late nights and early mornings it would take for mom to get ready for each birthday. she really does know how to make you feel like the most important thing in the world.
so my mom's birthday is monday. not just any birthday, #50. the big 5-0. if you knew my mom, it wouldn't surprise you that she didn't want any big party, no fancy hoo-hah you're 50 let's invite everyone you know over to celebrate. just a "small gathering with immediate family". but that didn't stop my dad from making this the best birthday yet for her :) daddy called me yesterday, just to talk, because he felt like it. that doesn't happen very often, so that in and of itself made me smile all afternoon. i asked how his week was and he replied about this amazing book he's been putting together for my mom - letters and notes from all 200+ of our relatives - all my mom's brothers, sisters, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, nieces, and nephews. amazing. every single one of them wrote something. he got teary talking about the amazing things they wrote about my mom, the things that were repeated over and over, and her strongest characteristics that everyone loves about her. i can tell he was so proud of this book, and i'm proud of him too. it will make momma cry and i just know she'll treasure it forever!!
i can't tell you how happy it made me to listen to my dad talk about what he has planned this weekend! all my mom's favorite things packed into a weekend long celebration. temple and dinner last night, hiking this morning, tulip festival, movie this afternoon, chinese buffet for dinner. tomorrow, all the grandparents and our newlyweds are coming for dinner (SOO sad i'm missing it!!). by the time her real birthday on monday rolls around, she will be so celebrated out she won't know what to do with herself. my dad loves my mom so much, and i am extremely grateful for that simple truth. it is evident in the way he treats her, the way he looks at her, the way he jokes with her, the way he knows when it's time to stop, the way he holds her, and the way he talks to me about her. she is his eternal sweetheart, and that brings a smile to my face. i know most families these days are not like that, even some of my closest friends are now torn apart by separation, divorce, anger, hateful words. satan's attack on the family is frighteningly working. all i can say is, my family is the greatest blessing in my life. it's days like yesterday i am reminded just how much they mean to me, and just how much we all mean to each other. but yesterday i was reminded just how much of a sweetheart my daddy really is, and even though they're older and have been married 25 years, the excitement about love and being in love still exists. i need to find a man like my dad to marry.
happy birthday, mom!! :)
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