The Lifesaver

This is The Lifesaver.

Please note:  She is NOT 63, nor has she ever been.  These were the only candles we had on hand.

I often affectionately refer to her as Mom.

And today is her birthday.


And because I'd like to see my children grow up I won't tell you her age.

The Lifesaver, she's bailed me out on more than one occasion.  Like just this week when my washer and dryer were out of commission and she did all my laundry... while she had pneumonia.

Of course she never told me she was that sick.

Because that is the kind of Lifesaver she is.

The Lifesaver, she's a go getter.  She gets things done.  There is nothing (and no one) that can stop this woman.  Not even a good case of pneumonia.  Nope.  She loves a good challenge.  And I can't think of too many challenges that she has stood up against that she didn't walk away from victorious.  She gets that from her Daddy.

The Lifesaver, she's not your typical woman.  She welds, she roofs.  And she makes the meanest batch of no bake cookies you've ever placed in your mouth.

And because she's done all these things The Lifesaver, she's a teacher.  She has taught me so much.  My whole life.  She taught me the song 'You are my Sunshine', how to swim, how to drive, to balance my checkbook, and how to paint a wall without lines showing.  But my favorite thing she taught me was that I can be okay with myself...with who God made me.  That I don't have to be just like everyone else.  And when no one else liked who I was, she did.  My Lifesaver.

My Lifesaver.  She has been the unsung hero behind every victory I have ever had.  She sat there with me as I cried and cried while I learned how to nurse my first baby.  She was my biggest supporter when I said I was thinking of home schooling the kids.  And like every good Mama she stays in the shadows never wanting any attention or thanks or praise.

And when I grow up I want to be just like her.



I love you, Mama!  Happy Happy  Birthday.