To Mom

Things I learned from my mom...

• how to bake butterhorns...although I think my Grandma passed on some of the more anal baking traits. :)
• how to bake pie
• how to make tuna salad and macaroni and cheese from scratch (some of our childhood favorites!)
• how to make pressure cooker potatoes (yummy...thanks for making those for my birthday!)
• how to make the perfect roast (it was perfect enough to hook Eric!)
• how to love people, have a servant's heart and put others before yourself (I'm not so good at this but you are!)
• how to drive a stick shift (on that old beater Honda)
• how to bait a fishing hook
• how to tick dad off when we're chasing cattle (remember, I'm still my father's daughter and have to add a little humor in here too)
• how to drive a wheat truck
• how to be a friend
• how to serve God
• how to do my taxes
• how to clean really, really well
• how to love my heritage
• how to be the youngest
• how to work hard
• how to spring clean (not that I'm all that thrilled about learning this one...or that I do it)
• how to balance my checkbook
• how to be the best mom you knew how to be when dad was gone (all those farming Saturdays and weeknights after work and business trips...thanks for letting me sleep in dad's spot when it stormed or when I had a bad dream...or just because...)
• how to plan ahead
• Some of these things seem so simple but mean a lot.

Mom...I don't think I realized how much you sacraficed for me until I became a mom. I don't think I appreciated you as much as I do now. I haven't always been the best daughter, maybe hard to reason with sometimes (like when I wanted to marry Eric..but so far that's turned out pretty good :) ), hard to teach, hard to pray for. Thanks for sticking with me and keeping me afloat...especially when the kids were babies. Now the miles between us make me grateful for living near you when they were born. Thanks for loving me even when I wasn't lovable. I am grateful for your perseverance, your giving heart and the huge chunk of time you've given for me out of your life. I love you. Happy Mother's Day Mom!