Happy Guatemalan Mothers Day

My mom doesn't think she is beautiful.
It is my experience that you cannot convince someone something about themselves.
Unless they want to believe it.
So here is my best effort....

My mother is beautiful.
She is from a generation that the world
will miss when they are gone.
She makes being a mother and wife seem easy...
and beautiful.
She was raised in an age where giving service to your husband and children
was not extraordinary.
It was expected.
But my mom WAS extraordinary.

She is an amazing pianist.
Her talents on the piano not only enriched her family's lives
but
served whatever ward she lived in.
I wish I had a nickel for every time she accompanied someone or played in the background.
I would be rich.

She was an excellent seamstress.
She not only sewed the clothes for my sister and I growing up. (matching of course)
but she made mini replicas of our clothes for our dolls.
I wish more than anything that I still had those dolls and their clothing.

Halloween costumes...no problem. Handmade.

even as hobos we were dressed to the nines.
Notice the curlers in my sisters hair.
Even as hobos we needed to be well kempt for church the next morning.

Pioneer parade.
The real pioneers only wished they looked as good.

Holidays and special occasions?
They were always special.
She could decorate anything and make it feel like magic.
Decorated cakes, centerpieces, handmade invitations
and do it all while rocking a swimsuit.
(sorry mom I had to put this one in)

She was pre Martha Stewart and her decorating empire
and made all of tablescapes from scratch.

Her holiday meals are now legendary.
I have only made my own Thanksgiving dinner a few times.
Why would I want to miss out on one of her feasts.
Happily I cannot compete.

She has patiently passed on her culinary skills to her granddaughters.
Which is good so that I always have a place to eat.

She skies alongside her husband.
To make sure that he is always safe.

She runs, jumps, tubes, bungee jumps, plays, and travels alongside her grandchildren.
Putting any of her own fears aside.
So that they have a cool grandma
and so they learn that they can do anything.

She slips them cash for things that their parents deem frivolous.
Things that make them feel a little cooler like
Doc Martins or
Vera Bradley purses.
She defends them when she thinks their parents are being a little too tough on them.
And there is no limit to the amount of time that she will tickle or scratch their backs.

At my fathers side she has traveled the world.
Sometimes in luxury but sometimes in the cheap
where a hotel room might have just a light bulb hanging from
a cord in the middle of the room.
She has hiked, walked, climbed, and posed through almost
every continent in the world.
Because she is curious,
but also just because she is a faithful traveling companion.
Russia, Peru, Greece, Japan, Holland, Spain, France, Brazil, Egypt, Morocco China,
and many other ports of call.

She has served faithfully in almost every calling that the church can ask.
She has been a ward RS and Primary president, a chorister, a seminary teacher, an organist, primary teacher, counselor, scout leader, Stake RS and Primary president and so on.
She recently finished a year long mission here in the Houston Texas South mission and is now the Regional Genealogy coordinator along with my father.
She is smart,
(Did I mention she was valedictorian of her high school class?)
funny, kind, hard working, loving, generous and devoted.
It is hard to imagine that she could have done anything more for her family and her God.
She has given me immense love and an example which seems impossible to ever measure up to.
But she has made it seem like she is just an ordinary mom
Doing what she can.
If that is not BEAUTIFUL....
then what is.

Happy Mothers Day Mom!
I love you
P.S. I am technically not late with this post as it is Mother's Day in Guatemala (really I am not kidding) and you all know how half of my heart is there anyway.