Happy Mutti Day!

Mutti is Mom in German, and that is what I call my Mom a lot of the time. It started about 15 years ago, and it has stuck! LOL. Today is Mother's Day and it is her way all day!! And is deserved! That means she gets as long of a nap as she wants, a bath whenever she wants. And she wants Outback brought in, she wants Munchkins, just jelly and glazed, and she wants to see Bride Wars for the first time. As you wish! :)


My Mom is the most amazing person. Her kindness and love and generosity just astound me. She gives and she gives, and when you think she can't possibly have anything LEFT to give, she gives even more. She puts others ahead of herself and her own needs, she is hilarious, and she is my best friend. She is my sounding board when I need to get things off my chest, and she is my security blanket, when I feel so alone and unsure of myself. When I feel worthless and like I don't deserve anyone's love, she hugs me close and tells me she loves me and will for eternity. When I am sick, she holds my hand. When I have a migraine that is so bad it scares me, she sits up with me at 4 am trying to find a way to make it better. My Mom surprises you with her sharp wit and her odd sense of humor. You do not expect some of the things that come out of her mouth, and after you realize, that was said by MOM, it makes you laugh even harder! She is the smartest person I know, her knowledge seems to include everything from the minute to the most intricate details of medical knowledge. She is an excellent author and had two stories published in Friends magazine.

My Favorite is "Cindy and the Treasure Chest":

Choose the right when a choice is placed before you (Hymns, 1985, no. 239).

Cindy giggled in delight as the Mr. Thirsty gadget drained the last of the water from her mouth, tickling her tongue.

Dr. Winters smiled back and picked up a tiny, long-handled silver mirror. “Your teeth look great, Cindy. You’re doing a fine job of brushing them. One last peek, and you’ll be ready for the treasure chest.”

Cindy closed her eyes, opened her mouth real wide, and wriggled her toes happily. She couldn’t wait to see what surprise was in the treasure chest today. Last time there had been dinosaur stickers with goggly eyes, and once there had been tiny books.

“OK, Cindy, I’m all done,” said Dr. Winters, unclipping the napkin from Cindy’s neck. Grasping Cindy’s hand, he pulled her up and out of the chair. “Why, Cindy, what a pretty ring you’re wearing! But ‘CTR’ aren’t your initials, are they?”

“Oh, no, Dr. Winters,” said Cindy, smiling. “ ‘CTR’ means ‘choose the right.’ My teacher at church gave it to me as a reminder to always do the right thing.”

“That’s a really nice idea,” said Dr. Winters. “Now, you run along to the treasure chest and pick out your surprise.”

Skipping down the hallway and into the middle room, Cindy stopped in front of a small pirate chest, took a deep breath, then raised the lid.

“Ooooh! Wow!”

Nestled on trays of rich, purple velvet were sparkling rings in all the colors of the rainbow.

“Aren’t they pretty, Cindy?” asked Dr. Winters, pausing in the doorway on his way down the hall. “Please pick only one—I’m expecting a lot of children this week.”

Nodding her head, Cindy studied the rings one by one. Rosy pink, sky blue, ruby red, grassy green—the colors seemed to go on forever.

How am I ever going to choose just one? she wondered. What I’d really like is one of each! There are so many rings, surely it wouldn’t hurt if I took one of each color, just this once.

With a frown on her face and a funny knot beginning to grow in her stomach, Cindy reached her hand slowly towards the glittering display of rings.

Overhead, the bright lights in the room picked up and reflected a twinkling object on her hand. Cindy’s eyes were drawn to the familiar green and silver ring.

The CTR ring! She’d almost forgotten she was wearing it. She remembered what her teacher at Primary had said as she handed them out: “When you’re baptized, boys and girls, you’ll be expected to do what’s right. It won’t be up to your family or anyone else. It will be up to you and your conscience to do what Jesus would like you to do. This ring will help remind you to choose the right.”

Cindy smiled, remembering how happy and proud she had been to get her CTR ring. Her teacher was right—a little reminder once in a while was just what a person needed.

Closing her eyes tight, Cindy reached into the chest and pulled out a ring. Hot pink! Her favorite color. Now she had a ring for each hand.

I must show Mama, she thought. After carefully closing the treasure chest lid, Cindy skipped happily down the hall toward the waiting room.

Isn't that a nice story? I couldn't get the illustrations, but I think you can see the story in your head. She based it on one of her daughter's, but that is a family secret.

My Mom is in fact, my personal hero. It's not a lie or a platitude, it is pure truth. If I could be like anyone, she is who I would love to be like. She is so full of life, so full of love and so generous with herself...she just amazes me more and more every day. She suffers from many similar problems I do, but she has managed to rise above a lot of the time and is an amazing mother and nurse. I wish I could be more like her, and if ever the day arrives, where someone tells me, "you are just like your mother", I will smile, get a little teary-eyed and be ever so proud. There is no one I'd rather be like, than my Mom. I don't know if I'd still be here if I didn't have her love, her guidance, and her understanding.

I LOVE you Mom. Forever and Always.

I don't care WHAT was intended for this song, it makes me think of my Mom, because you ARE the one true thing I know I can believe in.

"Only love can be divided endlessly ans still not diminish." - Anne Morrow Lindbergh