Happy Birthday, Mom!

I don’t think Mom will mind my announcing that today she is eighty-two years young! Part of the reason for our Spring Break trek to Billings was to celebrate the occasion in advance. While age has taken its toll on her painfully crippled body, her mind and spirit are as young as ever. I am blessed to be the son of this remarkable woman who is, as I’ve said before, the most well-read and intelligent person I know. Every time I tie my shoe laces, I remember who taught me how. Every time I read or write, I remember who encouraged me by her own example. Every time I think of my relationship with God, I remember her quiet and patient tutelage in the ways of prayer and devotion. It would be hard to accurately calculate the number of lives that have been touched by Mom, but I am safe in saying that it is in the thousands. Having suffered much, not the least of which included the betrayal of her love, she has risen above it all and continues to be a shining light in my life. I am who and what I am today because Mom never faltered in showering me with the blessing of her love.