Happy Birthday Mother!

Happy Birthday Mother!
Today is April 3, 2008 and it would have been my mother's 97th birthday. She died in March of 1992. Today I am remembering all of the good times and good things about my mother:

She was strong and determined.
She made it through difficult times.
She would sing or whistle as she swept the floors.
She was an excellent cook.
She would cook more than she could use and share it with others.
She loved her family.
She loved Heavenly Father, had great faith and taught us how to pray.
She loved the holidays and made them special.
She loved to dance and was very good at it.
She spoke what she thought....that was good and bad at times.
She was honest and true.
She had a great sense of humor.
She was good to others and gave service where she saw a need.
She loved her children and was very protective.
She survived the death of two husbands and survived one divorce.
She carried on when times were dreary.
She dressed beautifully and had the figure to carry it off.
She took pride in herself and her home.
She loved to travel.
She was fearless.
She traveled the world by herself.
She could kill a snake with a hoe.
She mowed her own lawn and repaired her own roof when she was in her 80's.
She was fiercely independent.
She was 5'2" and if anyone tried to tangle with her they would know they had a tiger by the tail.
She loved flowers, books, music, good food and laughter.
She was stubborn...and it served her well at times....at other times it made life harder.
She could draw up blueprints for a house and my father would build it.
She was a pretty fair carpenter herself...and could use power tools as well as any man.
She was a hard worker.
She kept a song in her heart even when life was hard.
She made her own rainbows....when none were on the horizon.
She was in all ways a lady.....and I loved her very much....and still love her today.

(The picture of the young woman (below in Ray's birthday posting) giving Ray a baby doll is my mother around the age of 18)