Ten Things I Love About My Mother

 Today is my mom's birthday. I wish I could be with her today, but I know she will have a lovely day without me. It is only fitting I share ten things I love about my mother today.

1. She is always finding little articles or cartoons she thinks I will like and cuts them out. She either mails them to me or keeps them in a dish on the TV until I come to visit.

2. She taught me the proper way to make a bed...even though I still can't get it she is a very patient teacher.

3. She knows how to make a fruitcake how fruitcake should be made. Her brandy soaked Christmas tradition is the best.

4. She has determination. She has modeled this character trait as long as I can remember. If a dust bunny needs to be picked up, a spill on the floor needs to be wiped, a fan needs to be dusted, plants need to be watered, a load of clothes needs to be folded, a batch of cookies needs to be prepared it doesn't matter if she hurts or is tired... it gets done.

5. She is an amazing gardener. She creates healthy compost, weeds to perfection, waters just as it should be done, deadheads like a champion, and knows when to pinch back, cut back, and harvest at just the right time and she has taught me much.

6.She knows how to cook. Mom is an old school chef. She used basic ingredients, traditional flavorings and spices, and recipes she has used for years. Nobody else has mastered meatloaf, swiss steak, potato salad, orange rolls, or navy bean soup quite like my mom.

7. She loves her family unconditionally.

8. She continues to be a learner. No internet, googling, or smartphoning for my mom. She still gets out encyclopedias, paper maps, and books from her reference collection to find out facts or reteach us something we forgot.

9.She loves to have a good time. Whether it is shopping for sales with her daughters, going out to dinner with her children, going to the theater, a basketball game, a high school concert, a tour at a winery, meeting up with high school friends, talking over the fence to a neighbor, a church tea, or a Community Concert... she loves a good time.

10. She supports good causes. She believes in giving back whether it is donation to the library in memory of a friend, clothes to the woman's center, support for breast cancer research, March of Dimes, time working for Habitat for Humanity, the Sixth Street Theater,

or providing canned food for Cosette's food drive at school.

 She has purchased cookie dough, raffle tickets, attended dinners, and made donations to support her granddaughters and their school endeavors. She is generous for good causes.

Happy Birthday Mom!  Thanks for all you have taught me. Often I am a slow learner so I know you aren't done yet.