The Birthday Mama

Today is my mother's 50th birthday. Woops, I'm supposed to tell you that she just turned 30. Anyway, she looks great for her age, doesn't she?



Clan Nelson, minus one. What an attractive family!

 Well, since I'm not too close to home for this birthday, I thought I'd tell the world how much I love her from over here in China. Let me tell you about how nifty she is. (Ooh, "nifty fifty"... this is going to be a good year.)

My mom has raised four great kids that love her dearly. She's put herself last and done everything possible to raise a happy family for 30 years. 30 years! That's a long time. She's been a PTA mom, soccer mom, dance mom, gymnastics mom, basketball mom, teacher-helper mom, primary-talks mom, hold-your-hand-at-the-doctor's mom, and many more mommy-mom things. And through her being there for me over the past 21 years, I have learned countless lessons from her; here are just a few:

• Don't fit the mold - be unique.
• Love everybody. Period.
• Accept everybody, especially those who are not accepted by others.
• Laugh at yourself. (She is an especially good example of this.)
• Have faith that God is taking care of you.
• Don't take life too seriously; God has a sense of humor.
• Never, ever disrespect your parents or elders.
• Serve those around you, and you will learn to love them.
• Some rules are made to be "bent," at least a little.
• ALWAYS show gratitude.

Mom never sat me down and made me memorize these lessons, she taught me through example. She is a fantastic example of each of the above principles, and I can remember specific times in my life when I've seen this through her actions.

Laugh at yourself. My mom is a master at laughing at herself. She served in the Young Women's auxiliary of the Church for something like 15 years, and she was always well-loved by "her girls," as she would call them. You simply cannot get through 15 years of girls' camp without laughing at yourself.

Have faith that God is taking care of you. My mother has experienced many trials throughout her life, of many types. Because she was blessed with an empathetic soul, she has endured not only her own trials, but those of the people she loves as well. Recently she faced a pretty big trial in her life, head-on, and with full faith. I have never been more proud of her. She taught me what it meant to completely turn your life over to the Lord, and allow Him to do His will. Her faith has made her an incredibly strong woman, and facing this trial with such faith made her even stronger. I have always known that my mother has unwavering faith. Is she perfect? Heavens no. Does she like to bend the rules? Sometimes. Does she have faith in her Savior, Jesus Christ? Yes. Definitely. Always.

Don't take life too seriously; God has a sense of humor. As I said, my mom is great at laughing at herself. She's also great at laughing at other people (in a loving way, of course). My mom is quite a tease, especially when it comes to her children. This is what happens when Ted Solomon is your father. Though each of us kids now has a bit of a complex about something (Celest has a mouse voice; Aaron has a huge head; I have Dumbo ears; Serena has a "Solomon" forehead), I am grateful that my mom taught us to laugh at ourselves and not take life too seriously. Because of this, I can handle the teasing that my father-in-law dishes out regularly (and dish it back every once in a while). Good thing I was prepared for that.

I guess what I'm getting to is this: I love my mom. She has always been my best friend (well, now she's a close second to Mr. Thomas). But more than a best friend, she's been my MOM - the person that has comforted me through whatever big or little trials a person can face in the first twenty-one years of life; the person that has taught me how to be a productive member of society; the person that taught me how to love and build relationships; the person that taught me to enjoy simple pleasures and keep on smiling. She's given me everything: life, love, companionship. Heck, she even found the best husband in the world for me. For all of this, and so much more, I want to say THANK YOU!  I'll never be able to express my love and gratitude enough to you, Mom. You are super duper nifty fifty. Happy birthday.