My mom teaching me how to be a mom. June of 1997, a few days after Alexis was born!Baldwin mother highlights revisited from five years ago –
Because its Mothers Day, I have obviously been thinking about my mother and remembered this email dialogue my family shared. I wanted to put it somewhere that would help me preserve it as it is special to me. I love my mom and am so happy that I got to come to earth and learn from her. Happy Mothers Day once again mom!
Hello all – Eric asked me to share with him some things about our mom for a talk he is giving on mother’s day in his ward. (Maybe he asked you too) I just thought I would share them with you on mother’s day so you will know how much I love our mom and the things she has personally done for me. I am grateful to be a part of our family. All of my siblings are extremely wonderful examples, and have taught me many good things.
Top ten reasons why I love my mom –
1. She always places our needs and comforts before her own.
2. She is a hard worker.
3. She is compassionate and caring of others.
4. She is always there to listen and give advice.
5. She is friendly and puts others at ease.
6. She has taught me gospel principles by word and deed.
7. She has taught me the importance of ‘family first’.
8. She makes me laugh.
9. She is generally always happy.
10. She is very talented in many ways
A few stories or events that stick out in my mind about mom are these… First, I remember mom caring unselfishly for her own mother when grandma could not care for herself. She would carry her around, feed her, cut her toe nails, etc. Service! I went with her many times to elderly people�s homes or to the nursing home to visit the sick or lonely. We would go take treats, help them around the house or yard, or just visit. She always impressed upon me that we should always remember them and that some day we will be old. She always taught us to show respect and to share our talents with others. I remember playing my violin for many of her visiting relatives. This has helped me be willing to share my talents easier – even now. When the orchestra decided to go to California to Disneyland it was going to cost more $ than was available. Mom would wake up very early (earlier than normal even) to bind quilts and earn money for this trip for me. I don’t remember her ever asking me to contribute. – (this is something I am not proud of -I didn’t even try to help earn the money.) She was so excited and happy for me to get to go, because she had never gotten a chance to go there. I remember several times when I was 13 and 14 that mom would say ‘call up one of your friends and we’ll go out for a blizzard’. My friends loved to be around her as much as me. She was always fun to go with and could act just as crazy as us. I used to call her Preachy Pat because she liked to lay it on thick, but many of these preaching moments taught me great lessons. Lessons to be modest, to obey, to choose the right, listen to the holy ghost, pray, and the list goes on. I also love the fact that mom still burns the ditch bank. I am almost positive that I complained every year that it stunk – ironically when I smell that smell now I am filled with pleasant memories of being outside with her. I am remembering so many things and I am getting too long. I think I’ll end now. I hope that some of this will help you out – and I hope I’m not too late. It was fun reminiscing. We have truly been blessed to have the mother we have. She is a wonderful person. Have a great day.
Love,
Jodi
HAPPY MOTHER’s DAY MOM!
Responses added from Scott, Brad, and Michelle:
Jodi,
Amen to everything. And can I just say that I busted out laughing when you brought up the ditch bank!!! I remember many times of burning the ditch bank. Also, I was so anxious for the time when I could play “Kentucky Babe” on the trumpet at the Senior Citizen’s center with mom like Eric and Brian. And going home for lunch in grade school to have a baked potato with chili. And working with her at Porter’s every day, and seeing how well she treated people and genuinely loved them. And staying up real late playing games…or having her make cookies in the middle of the games. And for talking to the cats (this fits into the number 8 of Jodi’s list)…the list does begin to go on and on once you get started…give it a try.
Mom, we love you! Thanks for being you!
Scott
Agree… Lots that could be added. A couple of important one from me…
1) Treat your brothers and sisters nice. I remember Mom telling me about how some day I’d look back at washing dishes with Michelle and how much I’d miss it. At the time, it didn’t make sense. But it certainly does now.
2) Learning to work hard through gardening…Was it just me that feels like all we did in the summer was pick and prepare vegetables? I remember with fondness all of us gathered on a quilt and snapping beans or shelling peas. Each of us had our own bowls. We’d work for hours harvesting and preparing food. Always mixed with the work was talking about what was important or just talking about nothing really important at all.
Great times to remember.
Brad
Okay~
~ Who remembers shelling peas and popping the ends off the beans. Wasn’t it Eric that got the beans stuck up his nose on two different occasions? I remember taking those huge “steroid” beans and flicking them at each other.
~ I also remember working in the garden on a few occasions with mom. She was always such a hard worker. I remember one time there were beetles/bugs on the potato plants & she had us take 2 rocks and beat the bugs off the plants.
~ I remember Mom serving others. That is a wonderful quality. She has such a love of people and wanting to help them in any way possible.
~ I love the fact that she helped us feel how important our heritage is.
It was neat to see the way she loved her brothers & sister, parents, uncles & aunts, great-aunts. I feel as though we all grew to love them as she does.
~ Memorial Days were always special to me. I remember going to visit the cemetery to take flowers to family member’s graves. I remember how she taught us all to show respect to the people by being reverent & not walking on the graves. I loved hearing Mom, Morgan, & Davawn share the stories about Grandma, Brent, Carol, Blair, etc.
~ Practice the Piano & don’t forget to count!
~ “If anything’s worth doing, do it right the first time.”
~ Saturday mornings & cleaning the bathrooms!
~ Mom taught us to be good workers- to do our best in all we do.
~ Mom is a people person! Any one she meets, they become her dearest friend. She seems to know almost everyone in the Rexburg area. I remember going to Frontier Pies with the family after Brian and I were married. It was pretty amazing to Brian & me how many people her and Dad knew. She generally cares about every person. She is pretty Christ like if you ask me.
~I feel our lives are better because of her. She always told us how her Patriarchal Blessing talks about honoring your parents. I know we all have wonderful parents. Aren’t you all grateful for them? I know I am. We have been “born of goodly parents”. I am grateful to them for the way they live their lives and for the examples Mom and Dad are to me!
~ I love you all!
– Michelle