Happy Birthday Mom!

I wish I had the words to tell you exactly what Mom means to me and my brother and sister. Her example is one of quiet strength and leadership for our family. She is the embodiment of support and encouragement to us, through good times and bad. She sacrifices daily to provide for us and has prayed us through some unbearably difficult times, and continues to do so. She puts up with persistent teasing and ridicule from my siblings and me and does so with a priceless sense of humor, and has even learned to dish it out in return. She loves and cares for us with everything she is and everything she has without hesitation. Aside from a strong dislike for cleaning, failing memories and tendencies toward disorganization, she and I have little in common - I am loud and opinionated, quick to speak, at times aggressive and insensitive, selfish and attention seeking - and she is none of these. My sincere prayers would be that I would become a little more like her every day, and that she would continue to put up with me, Katie and Steve (since they're a lot more like me than they are like her!) until God answers the first.

I love you Mom!! If I haven't said it before, THANK YOU for being the mother that you are to me and for everything that comes along with that. And I'm sorry that it took me so long to come to appreciate you.