Let Me Introduce You

My mom is coming for a 2 week visit today, and we are all excited to see her. I am lucky she is mine. In her honor, I am sharing an excerpt from our 2001 adoption questionaire in which we were asked to describe each of our parents. This is the best overview I can give of the woman I love and admire.



My mother is my hero and my friend. She made my childhood golden. If love were compared to a rainstorm, mother’s children would have been drenched by sheets of the heavy, fat kind of raindrops that fall gentle and warm, clinging to our eyelashes, running the length of our arms and legs, and falling gently onto our tongues as we opened our mouths to taste their sweetness.

I believe I can do anything because my mother always told me I could. My mind is filled with thoughts that she planted and continues to nourish. “You are the most capable girl I know.” “I’d put my money on you every time.” “There isn’t a person I talk to that isn’t interested in you.” How absolutely grateful I am to her. She fed me love, and I like me because of her.

Mom is an interesting mix of humility and capacity. She is unassuming and sometimes unsure of herself, but she can do anything! I’ve never seen her say no to a calling, assignment or duty. She has spent her life in the service of others caring for her seven children, her husband, her mother-in-law and mother until their deaths, 20 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. She worked a full-time job when times were financially tough, took care of the house—inside and out—during the years when dad was unavailable to help, did the books for the family business, taught all of her children the love of music and learning, and was an outstanding example of faith and testimony. I love her and admire her more than I am capable of expressing.

Although she didn’t attend college, my mother has been an outstanding example of life-long learning. She loves to read and is intellectually curious. She has a knack for writing and vivid expression; I love getting letters from her because they are often so poetic. She is a great cook, and I gained a love for the kitchen while working by her side. She is a terrific musician with a great ear for music and an artistic heart for appreciation.

One of my favorite qualities is her fun-loving nature. She is so quick to laugh, at a joke or at herself. She is fun to be around, and people are drawn to her. She made growing up safe and fun. I feel lucky in a world where so many are searching for a hero because mine was so easy to find. She took me by the hand.