Thanks Mom Posted by Rice on May 9, '07 10:04 PM Watching a child being born. That was the moment that I realized that women were ultimately stronger than men. Oh, I may be able to bench press more than Jody, but there is another kind of strength that she possesses that makes you sit back and marvel. I have traveled and preached around the world and done some things that were taxing spiritually and physically, but nothing I have done can compare to taking care of 5 children on a day in day out basis. As a mother she is able to diagnose illnesses(with doctors confirmation of course) discern attitudes and motives, and demonstrate a kindness and a patience that is one of the wonders of the world. Of all the things that aren’t said enough is, “thanks Mom”. Thanks for all the ways you make our life happier. Thanks for the enormous energy you spend on things that no one but your family will see. Thanks for the way you keep us all honest. Thanks for demanding that all of us treat others fairly. Thanks for being smart enough to homeschool 5 children and one Dad. Thank you for being a mother and a wife that makes us proud. Thanks for sacrificing so much of your time for us. I also say “thanks Mom”, to my own mother, Marian Broocks. Everyday of her life is still devoted to thinking about her three grown children. She is the one that instilled in me a hope that I could make a difference. My mom was a speech, drama, and debate teacher. She taught at the same high school I attended. She made me stand up straight, speak clearly, and corrected me when I used bad grammar. She also got me out of more trouble than you could imagine. One of her favorite stories she tells is about taking me through a drive- thru at a fast food restaurant. I leaned over from the passenger side of the front seat and ordered an iced tea with 9 sugars. When we got to the window to pay, the lady working the window only put 3 sugars in the bag. I then began to insist that they give me 6 more packs of sugar. After almost a minute of going back and forth the woman leaned out of the drive thru and asked my mother, “Lady,is that your kid?” Of course my mom said , “Yes”. The woman said , “Well, if he was mine, I would beat #!# out of him”. Thanks mom for not listening to that advice.