Happy Birthday Bro.

Dear Mom,

Today many years ago, your life changed forever. The purpose of your existence shifted; your ultimate calling in life was realized. You went from just a new bride, to a mother. You were the first to make your mother and grandmother. Your heart, body and soul transformed in order to bring into this world a human life, directly given by God, with His divine nature, and your (and dad's) mortal characteristics. The word "sacred" appeared to take on a whole new meaning. Today many years ago, you held an angel. (It's true, they do exist.) Within the proper, and holy bonds of marriage, you and dad thoughtfully, appropriately, and with the sanctity of love, created life. 

That's pretty remarkable. 

 He was the first person to hear your heartbeat from the inside. The first one to give you the marks on your skin, representing every sacrifice and discomfort you endured for him to be yours. 

He had dad's chin.

The Lord picked you. He picked you for his plan to be fulfilled through. 

He knew that you would be tired. He knew you would get frustrated. He knew you would get scared. Really scared. He knew that there may be a point when you couldn't take any more. 

He knew your heart would break. 

But despite this, He chose you. He chose you because of your nurturing nature. He picked you because of your strength. It was your forgiveness and unfailing faith that qualified you to be Justin's mother. The Lord knew there would be no better candidate, and Justin picked you. The Lord knew what was in store. He knew how many nights you'd forfeit sleep just to watch his little chest move up and down. He knew how sacred you would hold bath time, feeding time, and nap time, and that with every moment you would only love him more. He knew you'd get peed on, puked on, and would wipe ointment on that diaper rash, and would be totally un-phased by it. He knew you would count those little toes, sooth those crying eyes, admire those chubby cheeks, and stroke that bald head, in tenderness, love, and appreciation for how great God truly is. He knew that you would recognize that such a small infant, had in store an important mission, and that you would be able to accept that it lied not only in mortality.

"The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord"
Job 1:21

The Lord couldn't have chosen a better woman to care for him while he was away from home. 

I cannot pretend to understand your thoughts, feelings and emotions, because I've never been a mother. I've heard it's one of those things you just have to experience to know.

I'll bet he's pretty jealous of me. You know, because I've gotten to keep you this long. 

Hey mom, 

   I picked you too.

I'm pretty smart like that. Though I can't remember, I'd imagine when I was debating who to choose to be my momma, and with my genius smarts, I probably based it off of who I wanted to be the most like. I assume you had to apply, and I examined your resume (after all, I'm a pretty hot commodity!)

It probably looked something like this:

 Resume

Name: Brenda Sorensen Braun

Occupation: Illustrator, full time stay at home mom.

Skills: Creative, good cook, kind, intelligent, good with people, selfless.

Reasons to choose me:

-I'll teach you how to draw.

-You'll get my blue eyes.

- I will stay up all night, and hold your hair back while you throw up.

- No matter how much it costs, or how many surgeries, I'll pay to give you a smile you want to show.

-I'll make home cooked family dinners every night.

-I won't kill you during your terrible two's, your angsty teenage years, and even though I will want to lock you in a closet between the age of 10 and 11, I will be endlessly patient.

-I'll involve you in the things I do. You'll get your own paper and pictures, so you can scrapbook next to me when I have scrapbooking parties with my friends.

-I will take you to the Spokane river, easels in hand, to teach you how to paint. 

-I'll let you bake, and bake, and bake, no matter how much money and ingredients you waste from failed attempts.

-I'll take you to crafts shows, and make figurines with you out of clay.

-I'll enroll you in swimming lessons and let you retake level 2, 3 times, or however many times it takes so you can learn. I'll sit in the hott the summer sun day after day while I wait. I'll keep on eye on you in the pool; I know you'll inch awfully close to the deep end. I also know that despite swim lessons, you can't swim. 

-I'll pull you out of the water. 

-I'll let you join, and quit as many activities as you want, while you search for an activity that you love; Ballet, Piano, Volleyball, Dance team, drama... I'll drag you to all these things when you don't want to go, and I'll be at every game, recital and performance.

-I'll give you a curfew. I will not let you go to every party. I will not let you date before you are 16. I will alter your clothes to make them modest. I will not tolerate you being mean to your siblings. You may hate me for this, but I'll do this because I care.

-I will always encourage the things you want to do. 

-I will be endlessly patient with your weaknesses. 

-I will waste a lot of money on you. probably more than your father and I can afford, but I won't ever let you know if it's a burden. 

-I will marry a man that is everything you will want in your own spouse. I promise he will take really good care of us. He will be wise, and remarkably hard working, and when I don't know how to handle you, he will. We'll be a really good team.

-Your dad... you'll get your curves from his side of the family :) But, you'll get your pioneer heritage from mine.

-I will be married in the temple; nothing will keep me from making sure our family is eternal.

-I will always put the gospel first, and I will teach you to do the same. 

-I will always listen. I will counsel, not scold. I will encourage, not pressure. I will treat you like a friend, and equal, but will be your mother regardless.

-We're gonna be happy. Oh so Happy.

"I will love you forever, I will like you for always. As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."

So yea... I picked you. 

With that kind of resume how could I not?!

Today marks your 27th year of motherhood. You could have done bigger, and more ambitious things in that amount of time by the worlds standard. I'm glad you didn't though. I'm glad you chose to be "just a mom", and a good one at that. 

We can try our best. We can stay up all night to soothe coughs, make countless pots of soup,  fill endless warm baths, change numberless messy diapers, attend doctor appointments up the wazzu, and follow instructions to. the. T. and sometimes... the problem won't go away. 

The Lord knows us better than we can ever know.

I have a strong impression you did and continue to do everything the Lord wanted, exactly how he needed, and still needs you to.

When Justin was blissfully content, surrounded by love in the warm embrace of a new mother's arms, you passed him off to an anxious and understanding Heavenly Father. What better time? If I could choose a way to go, that would be it, so for that, I guess I'm jealous too.

(is that bulky cloth diaper I presume? I'll bet those were fun to wash...)

You know what's cool? I have a brother that someday I will get know personally, and love.

Not many people have that, It's pretty flippin sweet. 

So thanks mom!

 Thank you for making ours an eternal family.

Thank you for never giving up.

Thank you for being able to accept the lord's blessings, and let them go when necessary, and for always being an example of patience, and faith.

Hey Daddy! 

This all applies to you too. 

You're kind of a big deal.

Sorry I'm not home right now! If I were, "I'd make you a cake or somesing" (you have to say that in a pedro mexican accent...)

Anywho, I should probably get back to that homework stuff... gotta pull those grade up otherwise you're gonna kick my butt.

I hope you have a great day :)

Love you!

Sincerely, Valerie

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