She's Millie. Native Kansan....a daugther to Reed and Ruth. Sister to Cliff and Marty....and little Mikey Reed. (Aunt Marty, I'm still sorry she made you ride that bicycle home after you'd broken your leg on that one outing.....) She's my mom. My kids' grandma. Lover of scrapbooking....and cooking...and crafts....and gardening. Lover of Dexter the Dachsund (much to my dad's chagrin). Wife of Max.
She's been my teacher and nurturer from day one....my biggest fan. She taught me about Jesus. She instilled the fear of God in me. She taught me what love is. (Sometimes by demonstrating her enormous love for me in amazing ways....and other times by forcing my sisters and I to "sit and hug each other" on the couch when we weren't getting along - love conquers all. I use this "punishment" to this day with my own kiddos.) She taught me to eat my vegetables - I had brussel sprouts with my lunch today, Mom! She taught me about obedience. She showed me how to love a husband - that it's a good thing to kiss him like Davd and Renee did on "Days of our Lives". :)
She taught me how to "Walk Like an Egyptian". (It's true. We have it on video if you'd like to see it.) She taught me about saving things.....and that you can always find a way to reuse something. This Erma Bombeck quotation is oh-so appropriate for her: "Thanks to my mother, not a single cardboard box as found its way back into society. We receive gifts in boxes from stores that went out of business twenty years ago." Maybe not tooootally true....but perhaps close to the truth??! She taught me that moms really do somehow have eyes in the backs of their heads (still don't know how she saw me making snotty faces at her all the way through the front door and living room of our old house while she was still out in the front garden.....AND, I still don't know how she moved so quickly to come flyin' through that front door to let my bottom know that she had seen them.) She was firm. But she was so loving.
She's taught me how to share. She's shown me true selflessness. She's modeled true patience (which I still can't model myself, despite my best efforts). The fact of the matter is, I could go on all day....listing all the things my mom has taught me.....because, she's still teaching me. She's still modeling them for us all to see. She is amazing.
"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces that she never did care for pie." ~ Tenneva Jordan
THIS is my mom. I mean....selfless. Either this attribute or her patience....those are my favorite things about her. Looking back, her life since kids really was one big family-loving/errand-running/home-making/hard-working/girlscout-leading/dance class-shuffling/program-attending (you get the idea) marathon! AND, it still is. She still comes to our softball games. She goes to Shawn's softball games. She comes to my scrapbooking day at church, Meesh's work events, and Megan's half marathon. She's still there, giving 100% of herself to us. We are so lucky to have her; and, we don't tell her this often enough.
And now, we throw Grandkids in the mix and she's there for every single one of their special moments! I rave about her motherhood....yet her "grandmahood" is on a completely different level. My children are so lucky to have a grandma that is nearby....and not only nearby, but present. She's involved. She's on their level. She's interested. She celebrates them. She loves them. And they love her.
Mom.....today, on your birthday.....I celebrate you. I cherish you. Know that I am so thankful for each and everything that you've done for me, and everyone whose life you touch. As a mother, it is my personal goal to try and accomplish even just parts of what all you have as my mom. The examples you've provided, and the selfless time you've given me have meant, and always will mean so much to me.
Most of all, Mom....thanks for the prayers. I can't imagine where I'd be without them. I LOVE YOU!!!
"If you have a mom, there is nowhere you are likely to go where a prayer has not already been." ~Robert Brault
