A Tribute to My Mom on Her 90th Birthday

Today, November 30, is my mother's 90th birthday. Happy Birthday, Mom!

One of my sisters made this card for my Mom and we all celebrated on Thanksgiving Day, all 125 plus of us. This card shows Mother as a baby, as a young woman, as a young mother, and as she is today, dressed and headed for church.

Recently at a funeral for a 95 year-old, the person paying tribute had the group think about all the things this sweet woman had seen changed in her life: from horse and buggy days to the first automobile to airplanes to TV to computers, etc. That's interesting to think about.

Mother married at 19 and had 12 children. She raised 11 and one little girl, #12, was stillborn. Interesting tidbit: my Mother, my older sister, and I were all three pregnant at the same time, but that's when Mother lost the little girl. I was third in birth order, so I was at the "working end" of the children, and not the "spoiled end." (They might argue about that.)

Mother always did all her own cooking, sewing, and cleaning. She was and still is today a wonderful cook; she's one of those who can just make up recipes and they're wonderful. She still sews on her Singer sewing machine. One of my favorite memories of Mother is that she would ask us what we wanted for a special occasion and we would go in the stores and browse, and then she would go home and create that same garment. She is a very talented seamstress. 

And she could easily be called "the cleaning machine." Some of my fun memories and some of my not so fun memories are of Mother insisting that everything be clean, clean, clean! And that was usually accomplished on Saturdays. Dusting, mopping, sweeping patios, raking leaves, washing shoestrings until all the black marks were gone--I do believe her favorite scripture was "Cleanliness is next to Godliness." (That's a tongue-in-cheek statement.)

Mother's always had a good sense of humor. She laughs at herself a lot. And as she's become older, this has been a blessing. Many become bitter and give up, but Mother is laughing and adjusting.

Of course, as we all have, Mother has her faults. But all her positive qualities are wonderful examples to her ten children who are still living. Mother's baby turned 50 this year and her oldest child turns 70 in a month. My family provided her with her first great, great grandchild. So, obviously, I, one of her children, am a great grandmother. Imagine how old you would feel if one of your children was a great grandmother. I know because one of my girls is a grandmother. Life does move on, doesn't it.

That's my tribute! Happy Birthday, Mother! Hope you have a wonderful day celebrating your 90th birthday.

Love you much,

Mary B.