[I have to admit, I feel a little embarrassed to post this, cuz it's a "tribute to ME", but maybe you will all think about and appreciate your own mothers a little more...I know I do too!! I love you mom!!]
Hello Everyone!
Today I can't say much because I'm
so speechless because of all the love that I have felt - it literally
took me over 25 minutes to read my email this week because there were so
many happy birthdays. Crying is weird here, so I was repressing tears most of the time and laughing at my uncle Terry and my Dad for the rest of the time. I cannot possibly attempt to thank everybody by name in this time, so I will not even try. But I would like to thank one name as I share with you one aspect of Thai culture that I have come to love; I would like to thank my mother.
Since the ancient days of Siam to now, the culture of birthdays is very unique. For instance, imagine it's your birthday in the United States. Common questions are "Oh cool! What did you do? What did you get?" In Thailand you'll get, "Have you called your mom yet?" In Thailand, the role of mothers takes the scene here celebrating the REAL one who deserves the praise. When it's your birthday YOU BETTER call your mom! Well, since I can't call, I'll just let her know that she is my everything out here. I feel bad for all those guys with girlfriends, because I've got the best girl in the world (not to mention my sisters, step-sisters, cousins, aunts, lady friends, etc) you writes me every week and I KNOW will wait for me. She sent me the biggest package in the office, but she sends me more than you can weigh in prayers that have literally become miracles right before my eyes. At church all the sudden some member was playing "Desperado" [one of my favorite songs by the Eagles] and I only didn't lose it because I was in shock that the Lord loves me enough to send me a mother whom I can never fully pay back for the hundreds of thousands of hours spent in the service of her God - for me. If any of you who wrote get this letter I would ask as one last gift to thank my mother for the infinite influence she has had in my life - and in your life. If you know me, then you know my mom because she has given me everything you see in me.
I can never pay her back, but for this birthday I pay her this meager tribute that doesn't cut to a 1000th of the actual greatness of a woman among all women. Thanks mom - I love you Phom rak thoe maag wa phood dai!
Elder Gibbons
