Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today my beautiful mother turns 60!! No way does she look 60- does she? She is such an amazing mom, and I am forever grateful for her- she has the best attributes of a mother, I could only hope to aspire to.
She loves unconditionally, she loves everyone, regardless of the past, she is always smiling! She treates everyone with dignity and respect, and she always taught me to "be better than the person who offended you- always be nice to them and kill them with kindness"- what great advice! She is so generous- in fact, she hardly ever will buy anything for herself- she is completely unselfish- I have never met anyone else like her. She is understanding, helpful, and always willing to do whatever for whomever. She even has a soft, smooth, kind voice- so much that the company she works for's voice mail was her voice recorded! They all love her at her job- she is a hard worker, and rarely complains- she even works more than 2 hours over almost everyday, without any additional pay! She has a great devotion to family- not just us as her children and grandchildren, but to her parents and siblings. She takes personal time off work to help her sisters who have battled illness, and sacrifices her time for them at any given moment. She visits her parents multiple times a year, and even takes a week each fall to spend with them and canning vegetables. She is a great story teller, and loves to read. My children are so in love with her, and they are so lucky to be blessed by her as their grandmother. Alex woke up this morning, singing, "Happy Birthday to Grandma- I love her!"
When I was a little girl, I have the fondest memories of my mom- I can remember her being at every activity I was involved in, and cheering me and my brother on in whatever we chose to do. She allowed us many opportunities to try out different things and was never the person who said, "I told you so!" She gave us experiences that would teach us, even if we failed. And when we did, she was always there to console us and help us get going again. My mom always put us first - she sacrificed for us in more ways than I could even attempt to say. She is a great example in several facets of life. She truly is an amazing mother, and I love her very much.
When I was a teenager, I must say that we had our battles- I was a "smart mouth" (Shocker, I know!), and she was not willing to accept that from me. We had our fair share of arguments, but one thing I remember was that she was not willing to "be my friend" in those formative years, and that is so important- though that is not what I thought I needed from her- but being a mother to me was what was so vital. Now, she is both, and I love her for that- she knows the role of mother will never change, but now has added friendship to the relationship, and that has been a huge blessing in my life. She has always let me know that she is there for me and will love me no matter what, I treasure all she has taught me and hope to be as good of a mother to my children.
Last night, Sean and Stephanie, Dana and I, and my parents went to dinner together. This rarely happens, and it was so nice! We had a fabulous dinner, and even better conversations- I had a great time. Happy 60th Mom, and to many, many more!! I love you!