May 8 - She learns it from her Momma

To my momma, who I love dearly.

I am learning more and more every day who my mom is as a friend, and I love that! She has married off a daughter this year and moved her to another state. She welcomed home the other one (me!) for a full 2 and half month of living at home. She has also had to say goodbye to me again to move back overseas. She has been a mom to my crazy brother who still lives in my hometown. Most of all, she is also a huge supporter of my dad. She is his wife and loves him. She has taught me what is means to be a helper to your husband.

Below: Terribly blurry! My momma and her daughters. She is our mediator when times get rough, and our mom when we (I) cry. She will sit there when I sob about nothing and everything at the same time, and understand now that I may just need to cry it out. So very carefully she will look at me and say, "I think you just need a moment to cry, and there is nothing I can really help you with here. So I am going to go and come back later."

My momma braved crossing the ocean to new lands with my dad to come see where I lived for two years. What a blessing it is to have parents that support you and desire to come visit you! She says that she could never do some of the things I do, but I beg to differ. I learned that I could do have the things I thought I couldn't. 'Just set your mind to it, and you can,' she has said countless times before. My dad did too. They encouraged me to travel, see the world, live life to it's fullest. (I do see how I may be over-doing the 'see the world' part in their book. ;) )

She even taught me bravery in crossing trans-continental bridges - even if this one is only a miniature of the real one. ;) There are so many other times that she was brave in the face of scary and uncertain times. I hope to face my life with that same bravery.

She brought running into my life when I was younger. I ran cross-country all throughout junior-high and high school. In college, I picked it back up my senior year and was inspired and encouraged to run my first marathon. I even ran in a few races, including a couple of half-marathons, while I was overseas.

I am very thankful for having her this long, and I pray for many more years to come.

Love you Momma.