Our family has quite the birthday cluster in March, which means lots of celebrations. Tuesday was my mom’s birthday, so we enjoyed our yearly tradition of eating dinner at a Japanese restaurant called Shogun in Pasadena. It’s one of those sit-around-the-grill-and-watch-the-chef-do-crazy-tricks-while-he-cooks-your-incredibly-delicious-meal kinds of places. I was a little disappointed this year because our chef didn’t flip a shrimp tail up into his hat (personal favorite), however his onion volcano was excellent.

Now, kind reader, although you did not get to enjoy the tasty meal that we did, you do get to hear all about why I dearly love my mom.

• She has been a faithful and loving wife to my dad for almost 38 years. As I reflected on what to write for my Dad’s birthday post, I realized that my mom is quietly behind many of things that I love about him. He loves well and laughs easily because of her love and support of him at home. How beautiful.

• I know that it would be impossible to actually thank her for all that she’s done for me throughout my life, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try. She just did all those crazy things that moms do: amazing meals (our nightly chant: “Mommy you’re a good cooker!”), kept us in cute outfits, drove us all over the place, was PTA president/treasurer/any other number of roles at my school, helped with homework and school projects, and cared for us when we were sick- I actually have a vivid childhood memory of throwing up an entire glass of orange juice directly into her hands. I know that’s too much information, but goodness, she needs to get props for that at some point! She cared for us no matter what sacrifice it meant for her, and I thank the Lord for the gift of her mothering.

• She’s a great listener and companion. I never feel judged or silly when I share things about my heart with her, and she loves hearing about what’s going on in my life. We also just chill well together, mostly because we are both very content to just sit and read for hours on end. But we also both know that it’s nice to be with someone else while you’re reading.

• She taught me to love books (she is a librarian, you know), musicals of all shapes and sizes, and British t.v. comedies from the 70’s.

• She has an amazing ability to make things look pretty, and I learned a lot from her about the joy of color. I love seeing her serve her church year after year by decorating for the holidays, and she sets a lovely table.

• My mom is seriously smart. If there’s something I need to know, I just call her. She is a research librarian to her core- she either already knows the information that I need, or she knows exactly where to look it up. Brilliant.

I am so thankful for your presence in my life, Mom! May this new year bring you great joy as you continue to faithfully serve the Lord. I love you!