Memories for February: She Enjoyed!

One thing I have said before is that I had no doubt how much my mom enjoyed motherhood.  I am sure she had her ups and downs, but she had a special knack for really savoring the individual moments.  I think maybe it had to do with the fact that her health was always up and down...so she didn't take her time with us for granted.  I am sure that she often felt hectic and hurried...but I don't remember that about her...instead I remember her sitting and reading us stories (chapter books when we were older), lingering around the table to talk for a little bit longer, or taking time to stop and notice nature and beauty.

She loved our beautiful yard in Bountiful and was always mentioning what flowers were blooming or what tree was especially breathtaking.  Each year, she marked time with certain events...the blooming of the lilac bush, the peonies, the forsythia bush...she noticed it all.
I feel like I can almost remember this exact moment when we all laid out on the back grass in our pajamas on a summer morning.

Here we are working in the garden together.

My mom absolutely loved autumn time and found such joy in beautiful fall leaves.  She loved to crunch in the leaves while she walked. This picture was taken of Mueller Park Canyon where our family loved to picnic and hike.

 And our tree in front of our house.  I can still smell those fall leaves.  When I was serving my mission in Virginia, a package arrived for me one day...it was an envelope full of fall leaves from that very tree...my mom had sent me a piece of home.

 Most days, my mom was waiting for us when we came home from school.  If the weather was nice, she would be out on the front porch, watching us come down the hill...then there was a snack and time to look at school papers together.

I am sure times have changed a bit, but my life often feels hurried and a bit frantic.  When I think of my mom, I am reminded to slow down and enjoy things.

Today in honor of her, I tried to do that in the best way I could...when I took the boys grocery shopping, Cole and I took extra time to comb through the piles of hot wheels cars until we found just the perfect one...and his total excitement reminded me that so often, it is the little things that change the course of the day.  I pulled my pre-teen close to me on the couch and listened to the tales of middle school when I felt I should have been straightening up the house instead.  I held my clingy baby for a little bit longer and focused on him instead of trying to constantly multi-task.  My situation is different than my mom's, and my life will not be identical to hers...but I felt peace hoping that my kids will take from me one thousandth of the love and enjoyment that my mom gave to me.  She truly taught me that no matter the circumstances, life should be enjoyed and treasured.