Well... I'm not really. Far from it! But it sure feels incredible when my grown son says I am!
As previously mentioned, our son, referred to as Elder Nine while being a missionary, is serving a two-year voluntary mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are so proud of him for choosing to do so and for serving with all his heart, might, mind, and strength. We surely miss him, but we wouldn't want him to be anywhere else, doing anything else, but where he's at and helping to bring others unto Christ if they wish.
Each Monday is the only time he is able to email home. That is the missionaries' "P-day", preparation day, in which to do their personal stuff like shopping, write home, clean the living quarters, etc. Last week my birthday was on Saturday. Elder Nine forgot to mention anything about it in his email. I really wasn't expecting him to remember. Particularly because he had a horrible past 2-4 weeks, and when I say horrible I mean stuff that induced so much negative stress he was feeling ill and had to, well, stay close to the restroom. I can empathize with that kind of stress. Well, imagine my surprise when on Tuesday, while I was checking my emails, an email from him pops up! He had remembered my birthday and had gotten special permission from the Mission President to email me and wish me a happy birthday for my special (50th!) birthday! I was elated! What a perfect gift for me! :)
His short email, titled HAPPY BIRTHDAY! said:
"I got a couple spare minutes to type this up for you mama!! I LOVE YOU!!! Happy Birthday to my favoritest mama in the whole wide world! :D Thank you for being such an incredible angel of a woman. I dedicate the song "Angels" by Randy Travis to you right now...so go listen to it :) Thank you for being my guide, my example, my friend, and never failing support. There is no love like a mother's love, and especially no love like yours. I love you dearly.
"I have to keep it short...I hope my words are enough even though they are not!"
I could barely finish reading it, as my leaky faucets made my vision blurry. Words every mother dreams of, but never expects, to hear. Here is my payment in full for all the years of raising him and those years of pure H, E, Double Hockey Sticks, we went through when he was suffering from food behavioral allergies, and we didn't know what was causing it for 3 years (no thanks to the 7 doctors/specialists we took him to! And great thanks to the internet and the God-given intellect to do my own research and find the problem and solution!)
Of course, I immediately opened my iTunes and found the song, which I already had, and listened to it...... and listened to it, and listened to it, and listened to it.... while weaping buckets of tears. Tears of gratitude, tears of love, tears of joy, tears of dreams and hopes being fulfilled, and tears of missing my son and longing to wrap my arms around him and hold him just one more time.
His gift was so beautiful to me, I wanted to capture it somehow, so I could come back to it time and time again as the years go by, and remember this special love. So I decided to make a video of it using pictures of Elder Nine and me throughout his growing up years. I tried to "match" the pictures when I could to the lyrics in some way, or to events that happened in our lives that can be described with the lyrics. So here is the video. It helps me flesh it out when I can share with others, especially with other missionary moms, who fully understand what it's like to send your child out for 2 years, with very little contact, and just entrusting them 100% to the Lord's hands via the Mission President and his wife. It's not like sending them to college, or any other place. This is sacrificial offering of our children for a love and cause greater than our own... our God, and our brothers and sisters in this world who deserve to be offered the opportunity to come to know their Father in Heaven, how to get back to Him, and the lasting joy and peace that knowledge brings.
I hope you enjoy the video. Happy 50th birthday to me! One I shall cherish always.
As previously mentioned, our son, referred to as Elder Nine while being a missionary, is serving a two-year voluntary mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are so proud of him for choosing to do so and for serving with all his heart, might, mind, and strength. We surely miss him, but we wouldn't want him to be anywhere else, doing anything else, but where he's at and helping to bring others unto Christ if they wish.
Each Monday is the only time he is able to email home. That is the missionaries' "P-day", preparation day, in which to do their personal stuff like shopping, write home, clean the living quarters, etc. Last week my birthday was on Saturday. Elder Nine forgot to mention anything about it in his email. I really wasn't expecting him to remember. Particularly because he had a horrible past 2-4 weeks, and when I say horrible I mean stuff that induced so much negative stress he was feeling ill and had to, well, stay close to the restroom. I can empathize with that kind of stress. Well, imagine my surprise when on Tuesday, while I was checking my emails, an email from him pops up! He had remembered my birthday and had gotten special permission from the Mission President to email me and wish me a happy birthday for my special (50th!) birthday! I was elated! What a perfect gift for me! :)
His short email, titled HAPPY BIRTHDAY! said:
"I got a couple spare minutes to type this up for you mama!! I LOVE YOU!!! Happy Birthday to my favoritest mama in the whole wide world! :D Thank you for being such an incredible angel of a woman. I dedicate the song "Angels" by Randy Travis to you right now...so go listen to it :) Thank you for being my guide, my example, my friend, and never failing support. There is no love like a mother's love, and especially no love like yours. I love you dearly.
"I have to keep it short...I hope my words are enough even though they are not!"
I could barely finish reading it, as my leaky faucets made my vision blurry. Words every mother dreams of, but never expects, to hear. Here is my payment in full for all the years of raising him and those years of pure H, E, Double Hockey Sticks, we went through when he was suffering from food behavioral allergies, and we didn't know what was causing it for 3 years (no thanks to the 7 doctors/specialists we took him to! And great thanks to the internet and the God-given intellect to do my own research and find the problem and solution!)
Of course, I immediately opened my iTunes and found the song, which I already had, and listened to it...... and listened to it, and listened to it, and listened to it.... while weaping buckets of tears. Tears of gratitude, tears of love, tears of joy, tears of dreams and hopes being fulfilled, and tears of missing my son and longing to wrap my arms around him and hold him just one more time.
His gift was so beautiful to me, I wanted to capture it somehow, so I could come back to it time and time again as the years go by, and remember this special love. So I decided to make a video of it using pictures of Elder Nine and me throughout his growing up years. I tried to "match" the pictures when I could to the lyrics in some way, or to events that happened in our lives that can be described with the lyrics. So here is the video. It helps me flesh it out when I can share with others, especially with other missionary moms, who fully understand what it's like to send your child out for 2 years, with very little contact, and just entrusting them 100% to the Lord's hands via the Mission President and his wife. It's not like sending them to college, or any other place. This is sacrificial offering of our children for a love and cause greater than our own... our God, and our brothers and sisters in this world who deserve to be offered the opportunity to come to know their Father in Heaven, how to get back to Him, and the lasting joy and peace that knowledge brings.
I hope you enjoy the video. Happy 50th birthday to me! One I shall cherish always.
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