Friday Favorites

I have two Friday Favorites today. My mom and my mom. "What?" you may say? That is correct. My two favorite moms in the whole wide world... Beverly Jensen and Debbie Sherwood.

Beverly Jensen is my mom by birth and Debbie Sherwood is my mom by marriage (my husband's mom). They shall be referred to hereafter as Mom Jensen and Mom Sherwood.

It is impossible to compare the two because that is like comparing apples to oranges. I am so lucky to have both the apple and the orange, without having to choose. :) Their personalities are quite different in many ways but that is what I love about them. I want to incorporate parts of each personality into who I am and who my kids are.


Mom Jensen
It baffles my mind to think of how lucky I am. At the same time, sometimes it makes me sad to realize how little I really appreciated about her when I was growing up. It wasn't because she wasn't as great as she is now, I think it was because my complete adoration of my father blinded me from seeing how great she was. (I have always been a daddy's girl.) As I am older now and also a mom, I look back and see all that I didn't see before and am both stunned and saddened (for not having seen it before.)

Mom Jensen is like a lighthouse in many ways. She is a strong person... one of the strongest I have ever met actually. She carries on no matter how heavy the load is that she has to bear. She spent many years of my youth stifled by depression. I honestly never knew that she had a problem with that until many years later. As I get older, it seems like I always get new insights into just how deep her strength goes.

She sacrifices so much for me. Honestly, I have many jealous friends because of how involved she is with my kids. And she loves it! (The involvement, not the jealousy. :)) She loves to be with my kids and play with them. She watches Justis a lot for me when I am on business calls (and Nia when the calls are in the afternoon). While I try to watch how much this happens (I am sure it happens at the minimum once or twice a week), there are times when it is almost everyday. She is also great because she will tell me when she needs a break. She knows that she doesn't want to get burned out with them and knows that I don't want that either, so she will tell me when she has had enough. I really appreciate that. As if that weren't enough, she often babysits them for us when we go out on a date as well.

She is fun, has a great sense of humor, and is truly one of my best friends. And to top it off, she has a great sense of fashion. :)



Mom Sherwood
Growing up, there were two women in my stake that I adored. They were exactly the kind of women that I wanted for a mother-in-law. One of them actually had a son who I really liked, but in the end I think I had too strong of a personality for him. :) Anyway... when I met Jason's mom and as I got to know her, I was beyond thrilled to find that she is exactly that type of woman!

For many reasons, I don't consider Mom Sherwood as my "mother-in-law." She is much more than that to me. She has such a loving and nurturing spirit about her that you can't but help feel enveloped in her love. I am not her biological daughter, but she cares for me as if I were. She cries when I cry, she rejoices when I rejoice. I can call her and tell her anything. I can call and tell her nothing too. :) She has keen sense about her children's feelings and what is going on in their lives. She knows when things are not right and she is there.

I love how sweet and nurturing she is with my kids. It is funny to see how different her interaction is with them in comparison to Mom Jensen. But I am so grateful that they get both sides, just like I do.

One of my most cherished times with Mom Sherwood was the time that Mom Jensen was on a mission. While I missed Mom Jensen, I wouldn't have traded that time I had with Mom Sherwood for anything. She was my support during that time. She was there for me. She was there for Nia's birth. She was there for everything.


Words cannot express how much I love these two women. I think in their own ways, they truly exemplify what a Woman in Zion should be. I am a better person for having BOTH of these significant women in my life. I am so lucky to have both my apple and my orange. :)

I love you mom and mom. You are not just my Friday Favorites, but your my everyday favorites. :)