This Sunday, my mom will be reaching a tremendous milestone. She is turning 80.
This is so hard for me to believe, and even harder for her, as she will be the first to tell you! She is one of the youngest women her age that I know. I think you know what I mean...deep inside, where it counts. She is the personification of the phrase, "young at heart".
I was her only child. And I have never, for one moment, gone without feeling her love for me from the time I was born, until 44 years later.
Some days, this was no easy task. Some days, I'm sure she didn't like me very much. But she always loved me. And I love her. Now she not only my mother, but one of my very dearest friends.
I could go on to write a book about how special she is to me...but I will try and contain it to this one, medium- sized post. I will end up having to leave so much out that could be said.
But I wanted to honor her in this way because...after all, turning 80 is something special. And so is she.
Ruthie was born in Ohio in 1927, on the cusp of stock market crash, making her a true Depression era child. This childhood was usually less than happy...her parents marriage was plagued with tension and discord and her father would float in and out of their lives. But in spite of this, and the hardships of the day in which she grew up, she and her sister managed to have some happy times along the way.
(My mom is 22 months older, on the right.)
Her mother had been previously married but he had died in the big influenza epidemic, leaving her with a son to raise on her own. (That son later became a much beloved big brother to both girls.)Whether my grandmother married my grandfather out of convenience or out of love, I will never really know. But the result were some very rocky years, and the marriage ultimately ended in divorce when Ruthie was around 16. She said, in spite of the unhappy home life, that this was one of the most difficult times in her life.Eventually, my mom went to college for four years, leaving home for Tennessee to attend William Jennings Brian. These, it turned out, were some of her happiest years to that point in her life. She blossomed and was finally able to be herself and enjoy life and wonderful Christian friends.
Yet, something still remained unfulfilled in her. She was single, though one of her deepest desires was to marry and have a family.
Finally, that time came her way. When she was 30, she met my father as they both waited for the same telephone booth in, of all places, Hollywood! They soon married after a whirlwind courtship. 
Although only two years her senior, he seemed to be a lifetime older, having been married and divorced, with two children. (He had originally married at only 17!) She may have been thirty, but she still had quite a young and innocent spirit.
During their first married summer together, her new 9 and 15 year old step-daughters stayed with the newlyweds in their cramped little trailer house, giving "cozy" a whole new meaning. The youngest daughter was said to have been cold and resentful of the new marriage, which was somewhat understandable... but to my sweet mom, trying to be their friend while adjusting to married life, it was all a bit overwhelming.
(Here she is, in front of the infamous trailer. And isn't she gorgeous here?)
Yet, everyone survived this summer ... and nearly six years later, I was born.
And she always told me that becoming a mom was one of the things she wanted most in life. And feeling so loved and cared for growing up, I can truly believe this.
Life was not always perfect for her from this time on. Far from it. But she always remained a loving and caring person to others, as well as a devoted mother to me through every age and stage...until this very day.
She waited a long time to become a grandmother, but her age doesn't stop her from being a doting one and relishing the role abundantly.
I have left out so very much of her eighty years of life. Life that she lived through during the Depression, WWII, and all of the decades following. The jobs she held, the friends she had. And so many of the not-so-good years during my dad's alcoholism. I left out all of the compassion she has shown to so many. The happier years of her marriage towards the end. My parents ministries that they shared together. And most of all, her faith and walk with Jesus most of her life.
But then...as I said, that would be the book I could write. Because she has been, and always will be, an inspiration to me.
Happy 80th Birthday, Mom!
*Please... go on over and wish her a happy birthday. Although she doesn't write or reply often, she has her own blog and would love to read your good wishes! She will be spending her birthday weekend with us so feel free to send your wishes early!
**Edited to fix a few late night errors...and to thank those of you who already stopped by her place with birthday wishes. That means a lot! (Keep 'em coming...)
I love you and so grateful to still have you in our lives!
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