I know Mom worried about us when we were growing up but she did a pretty good job of not letting us know how much she worried.

I was really into horses when I was a kid and I was so blessed that Aunt Cindy gave us Danny and Whinny, who were wonderful to ride. A few years later Dad brought home a barely trained pinto pony we named Chiquita. She was so wild she would race under every low tree branch to try and knock me off, or she would rear up and over backwards to get me off her back! I was determined to tame her though and eventually she stopped most of her crazy antics and became somewhat ride-able. She stayed pretty feisty though!

Many years later I was stunned when Mom told me how much she worried about me riding that crazy horse! I think she just didn't want to discourage me from doing something I really wanted to do. Like letting me spend a week hiking through Yellowstone with a friend after our HS graduation, or joining the Air Force and getting stationed in WA State.

Mom never tried to suppress my spirit of adventure. Now that I have an 18-year-old son, I really understand how hard that must have been for her! Thank you MOM...