Happy Birthday, Momma!

For the last 25 years (my whole life) Deb Tarter has been my mom. Being a mom is all she ever aspired to be. So, I think that it is only fitting that today, on her birthday, I tell her (and everyone else who reads) the 25 reasons why I am thankful that she is my mom.

1. She loves Jesus.
2. She wants people to love Jesus.
3. She cares about the Church.
4. She married my dad.
5. She loves being a wife and mother.
6. She encouraged me to desire to be a wife and mother (even when I bucked against it).
7. She taught me the Gospel.
8. She still teaches me the Gospel (though in different ways now).
9. She is always there when I need her.
10. She speaks truth into my life.
11. She allows her children to grow up and encourages them towards that end.
12. She let me go when “growing up” meant going away in rebellion for a season.
13. She trusted the Lord to bring me back, and welcomed me back when He did.
14. She recognizes that I still need a mom.
15. She encourages me in my pursuits and takes an interest in what I do.
16. She taught me to love theology and love studying the Bible.
17. She likes learning.
18. She cares about people and feels their pain, and knows what it means to “weep with those who weep.”
19. She delights in giving gifts to people.
20. She is the most compassionate person I know.
21. She listens and understands me.
22. She loves to laugh.
23. She is a great cook.
24. She loves serving people by cooking for them and having them in her home.
25. She is my friend.

Those are just a few of the many reason why I am thankful for you, Momma. I am so thankful to call you a mom, but also a friend. The Lord has blessed me tremendously by giving me a mom like you. Happy Birthday! I pray that God gives you many more!