entry 4

Today is my mom's 75Th birthday. Wow, 3/4 of a century old. Can you imagine all the significant changes she has seen in the world? Mom grew up in a very small town in Raymond Alberta Canada. My mom met my dad at BYU and the rest is history. I can't speak for my mom but I know she wanted to be married, have a family and live the gospel of Jesus Christ. She has accomplished all of those things and more but those were her priorities. Unfortunately life isn't always that neat and tidy package that we all hope for. I believe that much of her life has been filled with joy and unhappiness. Not entirely what she expected. In my twenties I thought i would have the house with the white picket fence and the husband that was a night in shinning armor. My kids would be perfect and so would my marriage. Don't we all want that fairy tale? Who came up with that story anyway??? Back to the point... Mom can still tell me about the day I was born and how blessed she felt. She loved being a mother and I read in her diary recently how she prayed daily that she would have the strength to accomplish that daunting task. Mom wanted to be a school teacher like her mother but put that goal aside to raise a family. I know she regrets never getting her teaching degree. My mom was the youngest child in her family and has fond memories of her child hood. She loved her mother and will tell story after story about the faith her mother had. Grandma Wing died from dementia several years ago. Unfortunately mom seems to be following in her footsteps.

On a humorous note, we all want to forget our birthdays the older we get but my mom had several people wish her happy birthday and she had no idea what they were talking about.

(WE gave my mom this picture of Christ for her birthday, she loved it)!