Mom! I have so been looking forward to your birthday post. I just love you so much and I'm so thankful for you. It has been so beautiful to see how God has brought you through trials in the last couple years and you have learned to love Him and depend on Him like you never have before. I love that we have the relationship we do... open, honest, fun and Christ-centered.
So in honor of your fifty... er...fourty...something... birthday, I'm going old school and making a Barbara acronym!
B: Well, B has to be for Beautiful!
What I love about your beauty is not only do you have a fantastic smile and you still haven't seemed to lose your youth, but more importantly than that, you have biblical beauty. The Bible says that charm is deceitful and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised. I have seen you grow more and more in your fear of the Lord. You have grown to take His instruction seriously and hold your own plans with an open hand. You have stood for what is true and you have humbled yourself in several situations to make more of Jesus. That is so beautiful! It's a beauty that the world won't see, but that God delights in.
A: Adventurous
You are not like other moms.. and you are certainly not like other Grandmas! You do crazy stuff. You take the kids hiking up a mountain looking for a geo-cache. You ride four-wheelers. You get dirty. You do wild stuff with flour and sugar in the kitchen. We had an adventurous childhood because of that fun and outgoing spirit in you, and I cannot wait for Noah to get older and enjoy the adventures that I know Nana and Papa will bring him on!
R: Ready to clean at all times
I think it's hilarious that you will say, "The house is a disaster!" and any other person would look at your house and think, "This place is spic and span." You just love to clean. I don't think I know of anyone that is more determined to have a tidy home than you... and Brad and I were just discussing how we have taken after you in this. What I appreciate too is that you are always up for cleaning my house when you come over!
B: Big heart
You love to give. You love to hear a touching story. You love your grandkids. You love your family. You just love.
A: Asking for trouble
Okay, maybe not asking for it, per se, but you definitely always seem to get in to it. I love telling my friends your stories. You would punch someone in the face if they came at you. I think you probably have done that actually. You chased a drunk driver down the freeway going 100 MPH. You have punched multiple dogs in the face, including a police dog. You got your skirt pulled down when you tried to fight with some crazy guy who was beating up his mom. You got sprayed with poop from the trailer on a camping trip. If someone is going to fall down, fall in, crash, tip over, get caught, or pee their pants, it's going to be you. And you are going to do it all laughing.
R: Recalls God's grace
You give credit where credit is due. God is the one at work in you to will and to act according to His good purpose (Phil 2:13) . In all these things, you give praise to God who is bringing you from glory to glory (1 Cor 3:18). It has been encouraging to see you encounter various trials and in your weakness, you are able to see that even the hard things come from the God who is working to make you more like His Son.
A: Attractive
You attract people to yourself. It's so funny how many people have wanted to be part of our family. You make people feel comfortable. You are outgoing and that serves people. People want to be around you. Even our neighbors who we have had a hard time growing a friendship with, seem to come around when you and dad are here. This a great quality to have.
So, cheers to you Mom! I'm thankful for the person that you are. You are dynamic. You are a huge blessing to Chris, Noah and me. We have been the recipient of much of your generosity and we are super thankful for that. It's fun to celebrate the fun and wonderful things that we love about you on your birthday!
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