Couldn't Get Any Luckier!

So I imagine myself watching my newlywed mom and dad from way out there in far away heaven land and thinking, "So if I have to go to this planet Earth place, I want to live with . . . THOSE TWO!!!! Yep, that lady looks like the absolute most perfect mom on the whole darn planet!" And then, somehow, I--amazingly--get to be her daughter. What a privilege! I couldn't get any luckier. I thank my Heavenly Father (and my lucky stars)!
My mom has always been a good mom to me, a friend. I can remember going shopping (she's so great to chat with while driving--that's the most important part of the whole mother/daughter shopping experience, the en route chat time), cooking goodies (not only did I gain fabulous cooking skills at her side, but she let me lick the beaters, too), and countless trips to the library (a legacy I am carrying on with my own little ones).
My mom has always been a good mother to me, a care-giver. Constant, steady, dependable; my mother is as reliable as the Sun. From hot-lemonade to "Improve Your Hearing" proprietary herbal blends, she can cure all ills. (On the rare occasion that I become sick as an adult, I sure wish she was still close by; the lemonade doesn't quite do the trick when you make it yourself). And she is an absolute wealth of knowledge! And she didn't even grow up with the internet, she just knows things. You can say, "How do you know that?" And she will purse her lips together and say, "a little bird told me!" Like, mom knows when your note is flat, how to spell any word and that if you put too many potato peelings down the disposal you'll have to call the plumber; she knows when you're having boy trouble, or teacher trouble, or when you ought to be in trouble. And let's not even get into what she knows how to make ot do, because that is an essay-- no--entire book in and of itself. Because my mom is like MacGyver Mom. You give her a package of gum, a plastic bag and some crep paper and you will have the most fabulous prom dress ever. You will look good, feel great and be saving money! And if you try to pay her some compliments on this skill she will modestly deflect your praise and say something like, Oh, Becky, I just read about it in Martha Stewart. Or if you need a project for school and casually mention it on your way out the door, you'll come home to find a perfectly formed replica of a blue Egyptian hippopotamus found in King Tut's excavated tomb. See I told you I could write a whole book on this.
Most importantly, my mom has always been a good matriarch, a spiritual example. My mother is a spiritual rock. I am always touched when I hear (or just see) her pray. Once, as a young teenager when I was feeling especially confused about life and myself, my mom had a special talk with me. I told her, amid my tears, that I felt like no body in the world would ever understand me (not even myself). She confided that she had felt that way before too. She had been confused? My mom!? Lonely, or even depressed? This came to me as a shock--the lady who seemed so rock-solid, strong and steady--but I kept listening. She told me that when she felt this way, she would pray. And that Jesus always understood her. That the Savior would always understand me. That changed the way I prayed and the type of things I felt comfortable taking before the Lord. I saw that my mom had trust in God, and so I would find I could trust Him, too. And she was right.
Aren't moms always right? I think they are. I learned that from my mom.

Anyway, mom. I mean it. I sure love you and can't imagine a woman I'd rather learn from than you. A thousand million thank yous to you and dad both. Love, Becky :)

p.s. I noticed that though I am the first born, I am the last to post. This just means I've been busy doing a lot of my own mothering today. I will have to learn how to post pictures soon but for now, I'll just publish! Love me