A Tribute to My Mother!

Mama, Mommy, Madre, Mamma, Mom, Mother, Hammy Shan!

Well, with the exception of the year I spent away from my family while I was out serving people, this will be the first time I am not with my mother for Mother's day. I miss her. And since I think that all too often we reserve our cherished memories or sweet reminisces until it is too late, I present to you:
A Tribute to My Mother
My mother has taught me a great deal about life. She is survivor. I can't even begin to think how hard this particular Mother's day will be--she lost her 'baby boy' last year--he went back to be with our loving Father in Heaven. Both my mother's parents have also left this mortal life. The holidays are a time of mixed emotions, but I am going to focus on the wonderful ones!

This is my mother as a little girl:
Isn't she beautiful?!? (don't worry mom, I won't put the year on it ;)

My mother is the second oldest child, the oldest girl and there are eight children in her family (five boys and three girls). As the oldest girl she grew up very quickly and learned to many things well to help out her family. This benefited her (and me) very greatly because she learned to be a great hostess--I learned to throw the best dinner parties and have people over. I love cooking with my mother. Only a few rules--if I taste the food too many times she'll threaten to smack me--but never will. Always cook too much food and always tell the story about when my "cousin Chad ate all the mashed potatoes" or when "Uncle Matt had to eat all his other food first because he liked Cranberries SO much..." Ah yes... and then we play "FAT DOG" together--What's not to love?!? Sammy eating world famous BBQ ribs!!!

My mother was very close to her older brother Lynn--he died 22 years ago. I never really thought about the impact this must have had on my mother because I was so little at the time--but even then--she did all she could for his six children, so much that we remain closer to them then many of our relatives. Only one example of my mother's great love.
This is a picture of her with her with Lynn.

Again--the most adorable little girl--that's my Mother :)

My Mom grew up in Bountiful (I found out recently that when she was tiny she actually lived in Georgia? when my Grandfather was in the service--kinda cool). They lived a couple blocks south and a block or so west of Winegars Grocery store on Orchard Drive. She Graduated from Bountiful High--the same school all her children attended (some of us learned a little more than others--Brad.) People from high school still remember and love her--and that says quite a bit cause that was a few years back ;)

My mom then attended Utah State and Weber State?!? She had already learned many life skills from all she did to help out at home--skills that are foreign to me--like how to sew a button on ;) My Mother has a beautiful singing voice! She sings alto and should have tried out for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir! She has served in various teaching and leadership positions in the church--which can't be easy without the support she deserved at home. My mother was never honored or cherished the way she deserved to be in marriage--she has helped me to see that a shared commitment to and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is far more important than anything else. She also taught me from a very young age--that even if on the way to the temple you are not sure about the decision you are making--DO NOT GET MARRIED--I wonder if I keep getting older and remain single if she will withdraw that claim? Doubtful. My mother is incredibly beautiful! One of the guys I dated in high school saw a picture of my mom and said he would totally have dated her--I wasn't really sure how I should take that..? But it is true, see for your self:

Now I just want to brag a little about my mom. She is the most honest individual I have ever met. I learned from her at a very young age that you have one option: integrity. When I was about five years old, we went to buy dinner at a little diner in downtown Bountiful called "Eat-A-Burger." They gave us an extra order of french fries: 75 cents. She drove right back down and paid for them. I remember waiting tables about 2 blocks from there in high school and chasing after a young couple who had left over 100$ wait, wait, let me get you change I said--they'd left it on purpose and thanked me for the best/most honest service they had ever had--that was a credit to my mother.

Nightmares: I was born when my parents were getting older (that is a fact ;) and not really expecting another child--but I knew my mom really wanted a girl--She already had 3 little boys: Matt, Brad and Scott (Matt was adopted as a baby when she didn't think was able to have children.) And I must say "nightmares" does not refer to the frilly dresses, girlish pinks, silly sponge rollers, crazy dance classes and mini-cheerleading clinics she used to try to convince me to enjoy--but I had really bad dreams as a little kid and my mommy used to rock me in the rocker in the living room, "the piano room" as I called it. She would sing me songs and tell me stories and rock me to sleep. I remember being about five and going into my room and saying I went to sleep and had a bad dream and getting her to rock me--I guess that must have been before my lesson in honesty... I just wanted her to rock me to sleep.


Giving: My mother would give you her heart. When we would eat watermelon on hot summer days--my mom always saved the best for last--unlike me--I devoured it first. But if I asked her to share with me--she always gave me the heart. Much the same with steak--she would cook a T-bone and give the tenderloin to the child whether it was me or my nieces and nephew. When I was on my mission and my mom didn't have a lot financially--she would send me money and tell me she was just wanting to do something nice for me. She wrote me at least once a week the whole time I was gone.

Kindness: When my great-grandma was alive we used to cut a tree out of our yard and put it up with her for Christmas. My mom would take us kids to visit "Grandma B" whenever the boys went to the Orthodontist in Sugar House. When grandma B died it was the first time i lost someone I loved--I didn't understand--I was in the 3rd grade and i cried a lot. My mom slept downstairs on the couch with me and just let me cry--she cried with me. I have since learned that grief grows out of love and you cannot avoid either and live a meaningful life.

Birthdays: It doesn't matter who you are--if my mom has heard your birthday once--she'll remember it--she may even send you a card or an e-mail. I think she has this photographic memory that applies especially to birthdays. And well, since today is Stockton's birthday--I just wanted to put this picture here!

Service: My mother has never turned down a call to serve. Even when she got called to work in the temple on Saturdays--mind you--she works five days a week and doesn't work or recreate on the sabbath--and is the head of a single-parent household--Saturday was her only day to do things like work in the yard--but she did it to serve God. Just like today when she is teaching Sunday School and meeting with the Bishop before church--and she probably didn't even want to go to church--but she will.

Legs: My mom has the nicest legs ever--lucky for me--I inherited them. Once our old bishop even announced that she had the nicest legs... again...how do you respond to that?

(Mine is the one on the right...Did I mention I inherited the same humor ;)

Humor: My mom is funny. If you get her going on a cheeky roll--you better watch out--she can dish it. Especially recently she seems to say it how it is--like when my uncle (who isn't the best brother to my mom) showed up and was pretending to care because he wanted something--she just plain said--don't act like you care--what do you want? Or the time we were at one of my friend (boy's) houses and she told him how it had been her dying mother's wish that I marry him--I said she is funny--I didn't say that sometimes I feel a little awkward after ;)

Just a really cute picture of Samantha the day my mom and I took her to have her pictures taken--we took her into the hall and this woman stopped to say--oh how beautiful she is--and Sammy belched right then she was so excited about the Pepsi display--I don't know what the woman thought after that...)


If you try to get her on the phone--you're probably wasting your time--if you are the mailman you already know that she gets more magazines than any other Utah resident. If you want to see the "sexy bikini walk" you are going to have to ask her... but if you want to see a mother that through a lot of hardship has really tried to love her children while respecting their use of agency--that's mia mamma--a nickname she earned while I lived in Italy--because together she and I make better pizza than the natives!

And mind you--she is the greatest "hammy shan" in the world! She loves her little Sydney, Stockton and Samantha so much! She sends them packages--and buys them jamies, and reads them stories, and let's them tear her house apart, and walks the floor with them at night and lets them climb in bed with her (and then kick her in the side all night--I'm sorry we're all "wiggle worms," recently she drove straight through 12 states with me to Florida. (we went through Ohio to see the little ones) and she played dress up with the kids--we were SO tired--but she put her whole heart into loving and playing with them while we were there!


I LOVE YOU ALL THE WAY TO HEAVEN, AND SO DO THEY!!!