Diamond Jubilee

My mom turned 60 on November 10th!   Earlier this year she got her ears pierced with my niece, and wore diamond earrings for her diamond jubilee.  I wish I had a picture of her wearing her diamond earrings, but below is the day she pierced them.

She said she did not want a party, but I knew something special had to be done for her 60th.  I saw an idea on Pinterest, and knew right away it was perfect for my mom. 

I put together a letter that I sent to my moms friends, friends from the past, family members, and old ward members.  It was explaining that it would be great if my mom could open "60 memories for 60 years".  Each memory would be put in an envelope.  

It turned out great.  She loved it, and was very surprised!

At first it was hard to track people down.  My mom's generation isn't as addicted to facebook and email like my generation is.  Tracking down all these people without the help of my mom giving me phone numbers,  emails, or addresses was very hard.   But we did it!  Plus, she has 6 kids, and we each did a memory, (some of us two)  and that was 1/6th of them done!

Some were really funny, some really random, and a lot of  them were really sweet.  There were things I learned, and things even my mom learned.  She apparently didn't know her little brothers bugged the living room so they could listen to her talk to her dates. 

I wanted to have the memories jotted down in two versions.  So I also filled a notebook with them.  The notebook had a map outlined as the design, and I titled it "Linda's Trip Down Memory Lane" That turned out easier to read at first, because we read a good chunk over dinner at a public restaurant. 

She said she went home and opened every envelope, and finished reading every one.  She loved it, and said she felt so loved, and she is! 

One sweet memory was written by my mom's Aunt Laurelle, her mother's sister.  She sent her handwritten letter to me in the mail, and the handwriting reminded me of my late grandmother.  She said how she loved living with baby Linda,  and how cute she was as a baby.   

I am just glad she has these, and can now read them over and over if she wanted to.  It is something I hope she keeps forever, and even posterity can read it years from now. 

Happy Jubilee Mom!