My mama

She was 19 when she married my dad in El Dorado, Ark. They eloped.

She was 34 when she had her first child -- me!

She is, without a doubt, amazing.

My mom never was the "coolest" mom. She didn't buy me and my friends alcohol, she didn't let me go to the "fun" high school parties, she didn't let me wear short shirts or dresses.

She took me to church every week. She encouraged me to sing, to join our church's choir, to invite my friends over to our house so she could keep an eye on us. She made me keep my bedroom door open when boys were around and paid for me to have tennis and dance lessons.

She showed me what a good marriage was by her relationship with my dad -- they'll have been married for forty years, as of next Saturday. She pushed me to do well in school, so that when I graduated, I had college paid for with scholarships.

She showed me how little some things mattered -- like not being the girlfriend of the cute boy in school or being the party girl. She gave me her honest opinion when I did things wrong but always complimented me for a job well done.

There's not a day that goes by that I don't talk to my mom. We're closer than a lot of kids are to their moms, and I am so thankful for that. I am so thankful I have a woman to model myself after. She's not perfect -- no one is -- but she comes mighty close on many occasions.

I love you, Mom. Happy early Mother's Day.