Attempts to start consistently blogging again: 7(low estimate). Day of current attempt: 2. Overview: Getting to day 3 is expected. Day 5 would be awesome. Let's keep it going.
So Mothers' Day (or is it Mother's? Jocelyn and I were discussing that today) means two things for me. Number one is a celebration of Mom, which seems pretty obvious. Number two means family. Four of the past five years, someone from my immediate family has been on a mission, and Mothers' Day is one of the two days all year missionaries can call home. So it's always a good day.
Five years ago I was able to call home from my second area. It was the first phone call I had on my mission and it was a lot of fun, but made me homesick. My companion was about to go home and I was barely out five months. I remember finding it weird how much my families voices changed...namely Chance and Konner. Although I suppose it was just as weird the next Mothers' Day when I was in my fifth area during swine flu time. Either way, both were good times, and both made me grateful for family.
The last two years it has been Logan calling home. I don't know why, but missionaries the world over are allowed to use Skype to call home. While I feel slightly cheated, it was good to see Logan. He probably thinks I've put on all the weight that I think he's lost, but no big deal. Seeing Logan is always fun. I am surprised I don't miss him more, but I suppose that's what being married and in college does to you. If I were still living at home, I think it would have been harder and getting to these last three months would have taken forever. Moral of the story: Mothers' Day is extra special when there is a missionary out.
Now to the reason for Mothers' Day. My mom. I love my mom, but that's a given. Everyone says their mom is the best, and I'm no exception to that rule; however, I think it's especially true in my case because my mom was the right mom for me. I was and am a fairly decent person (and I'm humble about it) but I can be stubborn, argumentative, sarcastic, and a pain in several places. I'm pretty sure anyone softer than my mom would have given up, but anyone stricter might have kicked me out. So thank you mom for being the right mom for me.
This isn't to say my mom is perfect, because she's not, and I think she'd be the first to admit it. But I have no serious gripes or complaints. She only ever missed two semi big sporting events (as big as city league can be...and that's also throwing in that most of my life, I wasn't on winning teams until we moved) and for as many sports as I played growing up, that is a great percentage. I think she might have gone to more of my high school games than my dad did. The only things I ever got frustrated at my mom for were things like "Hey you should go to work" or "Eat more vegetables, they're good for you" or "Don't buy that"...normal mom things that every mom does and it only makes you a better person. But like I said, I can be stubborn...and did I mention lazy? So that right there is a pretty awesome record.
My family was never exactly awesome at doing FHE, but we still did them enough that I remember them, and they found ways to cater to four boys: ice cream and sports/games. My dad always did a good job of making us conduct and telling stories, but mom was the one who really taught us. Two of my greatest accomplishments in this life...no, not winning my fantasy football league this year (though that is definitely top 5 material)...have been going on a mission and getting married in the temple. I'm not sure how my mom got in engrained in my head, but she somehow did. Like I said earlier, I believe I'm a pretty decent person, and I believe a good 95% of that comes from my mom. She somehow got mission and temple in there clear enough that I never did anything to jeopardize them. She helped build a good foundation that I now have to start building on by my lazy stubborn self...and I'm grateful for it.
Thank you Mom for making me who I am today. I definitely have my flaws, but that's not your fault. You have done the best you can and that's all any son can ask for. Thank you for always being there, being someone I could talk to, and being a good example. I love you very much, and have a happy Mothers' Day.
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