The Luckiest Girl in the World 

/ Jessica

Do you ever count your blessings?

I do. In fact, today is one of those days. You see, 70 years ago today, my mom was born in a farmhouse near the small town of Schleswig, Iowa.

A couple of years ago, I was working on a writing project and the assignment was called “100 Things I Love About My Kid”. While I was working on my list about Little Bit, I asked mom if she’d make a list for me.

She did, but she didn’t stop at 100! She kept right on going!

Today I thought it’d be fun for me to list 70 things I love about my mom for her 70th birthday. Here goes…

  1. Kind hearted
  2. Funny
  3. Story teller
  4. Taught me how to be a friend by being  one.
  5. Raised me with morals.
  6. Had me when she was 21. Then there were four of us by the time she turned 27.
  7. Best smile
  8. Loves yellow
  9. Has her own craft room where she sews and paints
  10. Loves animals
  11. Will put on all her winter gear (coat, hat, boots, gloves) to go out and feed the birds in the middle of a snow storm
  12. Takes in strays
  13. Has the home-iest of all homes
  14. Calls me for no reason
  15. Taught me what unconditional love was all about
  16. Didn’t give up on me when I was a teenager
  17. Makes the best carrot cake
  18. Cooks around my eating issues- gluten free, meat free
  19. Let’s me get the cookbook out and pick out recipes, then she changes them a bit to make them so I can eat them!
  20. Has the best laugh
  21. Stuck by me during infertility and listened to my sadness over and over
  22. How she celebrated with me when I got and stayed pregnant
  23. That she dropped everything and came to take care of me when I was on bedrest
  24. I loved knowing she and dad were in the waiting room during my emergency c section
  25. Little Bit was born on my birthday and mom brought a delicious chocolate cake to my hospital room with my name and baby on it
  26. I love how she stayed with us for two weeks after Little Bit was born so my husband could go back to work
  27. That she gave Little Bit his first bath on top of the dryer at our old tiny house with 4 rooms and a bathroom in the middle
  28. Her talents
  29. How she can make anything look brand new
  30. Her creativity
  31. How hard she works on her house
  32. Her flower gardens
  33. That she cares for her pets like they’re children
  34. That she still spoils me even though I’m grown
  35. That she was my maid of honor at my wedding
  36. How every Wednesday for over two years, she and dad drove to Iowa to keep dad’s parents company
  37. How she took care of her own dad when he got really sick
  38. That she loves the elderly and worked in the nursing home for 10 years
  39. That after my baby brother was in high school, she went to nursing school and even though it was extremely difficult, she pushed through it and graduated
  40. Hearing her stories about being at her grandma’s house when she was little
  41. That she’s pulled through several rough back and neck surgeries
  42. How she stayed living in one town her whole life when all she ever wanted to  do was spread her gypsy wings
  43. That she shared with me her love of music
  44. That she used to dance around the house and blare the old stereo cabinet in the house we grew up in
  45. How she always made our home feel welcoming to our friends. Our house was the one that was always filled with high school kids because she made everyone feel welcome
  46. How when I was in elementary school, she was involved at school
  47. How she and dad came to every school event. There were 4 of us, that’s a lot of events!
  48. Her impeccable closet, she has a wonderful taste in clothes
  49. How she opened a clothing store in a small town even though it was a tight economy
  50. When she used to take me to “market” at the fancy hotel in Kansas City to get clothes for her store “Diane’s Vogue”
  51. How she was comfortable driving a station wagon in the 1970’s and 1980’s
  52. How she’d go to the swimming pool with us everyday when we were kids and go off the diving boards
  53. How she’d sit in the basement with us during tornado warnings while dad was on the fire department and would be out spotting storms
  54. How she gave 1000% of herself to us kids
  55. How when their dog got hit by a car, she put a wooden playpen in their kitchen and took care of that dog for months until he was healed
  56. How she gets together with her friends she had in high school
  57. How she and dad still go to their high school homecoming and homecoming parade almost every year
  58. That when I talk to her on the phone I can still hear the “Abbe” (her family) in her voice.
  59. Her whistle. Her dad whistled. Love that.
  60. The compassion she has for others
  61. How she’s fed many people over the years
  62. That she taught me what it means to respect people for who they are
  63. That she told me that no matter what the situation, everyone is doing the best they can
  64. How even though I’m grown, she’ll still slip money in my birthday card
  65. How she buys pretty stationary and sends me cards out of the blue
  66. That when we go home for Christmas, there are a ton of presents under the tree for everyone
  67. How when she comes to visit, she catches me up on my laundry piles
  68. How she loves watching football
  69. Her love for horses
  70. That even though she grew up in a family that loved each other but didn’t openly show it, she still lets me hug all over her.

Even though we’re still at the beach and there’s many miles between us and her northern Missouri town, I know I’m with mom today, in her heart. 

My husband, Little Bit, and I sent her these birthday flowers today. As I sit here and reread my list of 70 things, it just reaffirms something I already knew, because of my mom, I am the luckiest girl in the world. 

    43 thoughts on “The Luckiest Girl in the World ”

    1. I must say this is really sweet :) I mean normally these things pass between couples. My hubby had done this once :) But doing this for your mom on her birthday is really really a wonderful thing to do. You are such an amazing person and am really lucky to have met you in this ocean of blogs <3

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    4. I wished there was a LOVE button instead of just a like. This post is absolutely beautiful. You couldn’t give your mother any better present for her birthday. I know you give her a “present” every minute of the day. You are an amazing daughter, mother, wife and person. I haven’t even met you and I love you! What a beautiful soul. Happy Birthday to your dear Mother.
      I miss mine every second of the day………

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      • Oh my gosh, you have my tears flowing. I only got 2 lines in before I did that little gasp. You know the one? The one where at that moment you realize that someone is talking about y-o-u. Not only is my cup running over, pretty sure there is a puddle on the floor…

        “Thank you” isn’t big enough to even begin to express what your words mean to me. Truly.

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    7. Wow, I read this post with tears in my eyes. So incredibly beautiful and heartfelt and I could feel the love pouring through every line and every one of the 70 things. What a wonderful mum she obviously is and what an equally beautiful daughter you are. She must be so proud. Happy birthday to your lovely mum. This is the best gift. xo :)

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