Today I was reminded again of how blessed I am to have my family. My Dad is a man who doesn’t know the meaning of half measures – he works, worships and loves with everything he’s got. My beautiful little sister Lisa is a force to be reckoned with – her loyalty, love, adaptability and exuberance constantly inspire me. She’s also getting rather wise in her old age. My youngest sibling Adam (the only son and heir as he likes to remind us) is growing into a man of conviction, integrity, and intelligence. He also has the most annoying/amusing dry sense of humour. (To be fair it’s only annoying when it’s in perfect harmony with my husband and focused upon me!) It wasn’t Dad, Lisa or Adam however who prompted my gratitude today. It was the matriarch or our particular clan, most commonly known on this blog as “She Who Must Be Obeyed.”
Yesterday was my Mum’s birthday. I won’t say how old she is because truthfully I always get it wrong. For many years she got stuck at 36 in my mind and since then I have been totally lost on how old she actually is. Not something Mum’s particularly fussed about I’m sure.
My Mum is a woman who greatly inspires me. She (unlike most of the rest of us) doesn’t need to be the centre of attention, she’s wise (very wise!), discrete, generous, excellent to shop with and has taught me a lot about the woman I want to be. Looking back at my teenage years I’ve realised there were some important foundations Mum instilled in me then, that I’m not sure I’ve ever thanked her for. For example from a young age she taught us to think for ourselves, she emphasised that honesty and trust are fundamental and she assured us that we were worth being treated with respect.
She constantly inspires me in her faith too. As a teenager I would plod downstairs and emerge bleary eyed into our kitchen for a little caffeine assistance before school. Each time I arrived Mum would move her Bible and notes off the worktop to make room for the various cereals, etc. we raided. While I was still trying to string a sentence together my Mum had been praying and studying. She never bragged about it. She just got on with it. She's awesome.
So happy birthday Mum. I love you very much... and not just because you make me food :) Though I love your food too!