Mindy

Hi. :D ~ I would like to introduce you to one of the most amazing young women I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Mindy Moore... my daughter.   :D

Had she been my age instead of nearly 21 years younger than I am... we would have hung out together and been amazing friends. We would have gone to the mall together and had our photo taken together (we should do that again!)... we would have slumber parties together... talk with each other late into the night; sing karaoke together; laugh together at each other and at ourselves; play cards now and then; taken photos of each other (even in the dressing room at a Ross... for the sake of getting photographs of ideas for characters in the stories she writes ;); browse together at the local fairs... especially Art on the Green and the Hayden Days fairs; We would have been each other's therapists; shared secrets with each other; totally admired and respected each other; had a blast together... we would have been AMAZINGLY CLOSE FRIENDS!

And the cool thing is, even though we are 21 years apart... even though we are an actual and total generation apart... even though a lot of other people say to their daughters, "I can't be your friend, I have to be your mother;" I don't say that. Criticize me if you want to; I don't care! I have to do what works for me and my daughter (OK... I am her "mom" first, but I am also a friend). We are great friends, and we do... DO all these things. :) (I am so blessed!)  

Let me tell you a little about Mindy. She is the most amazingly compassionate and kind person I know. She has the gift of empathy; she KNOWS what you feel, and she CARES. She knows what to say, and how to say it. And she does. Ever since she was a little baby she has been displaying deep, meaningful compassion for others. When she was a baby, it used to crack her dad and I up as we would watch her notice a child crying and quickly crawl over to the child and with all the energy of her tiny little body and huge soul - she would comfort that 3 times larger than her child...  you would think she was the child and the child was the baby. She was way beyond her years.

Mindy is still beyond her years. On a regular basis, Mindy surprises us all with the wisdom and compassion of an ancient Goddess (Can I say that? It just sounds so cool! LOL). She is somewhat quiet and not at all hyper or in a rush to do anything. She can seem to be standing there - not doing anything - but don't let that fool you. Deep inside is a woman of great activity. Within her are synapses firing right and left... multiplying like mad and accomplishing amazing feats. She is thinking things most people never dream of. She is feeling things more deeply than most people could handle feeling. She is living in a quiet, meditating and thoughtful way... she is - A spiritual and intellectual genius! She is quite and still. And then all of a sudden she will reverently and slowly say something... deeply profound... wise beyond her years ~ and it absolutely takes your breath away.

Mindy is a reader and a writer. She has been doing both for as long as I can remember. As a toddler I read huge stacks of golden books to her each night before she went to sleep (yes... really; she was very demanding! And... I LOVED cuddling with her and rocking her as I read to her, so I was glad she demanded it. :). I did not send her to public school until the second half of Kindergarten; I taught her to read and write first, then sent her when I got too busy to continue. When her teacher assessed her she informed me that it was obvious to her that Mindy had been to a "really good" school and had a "great" teacher; she was WAY ahead. I told her teacher, "Thanks for the compliment - but honestly, she was just blessed with the talent. :)" She has always had several books that she is reading all at once and has read hundreds of classics. If only I had read a tiny portion of the books she has read in her life so far. It puts me in awe.

But Mindy loved learning at home so much more than at school and frequently plead with me to teach her at home. Things worked out her way; she was home schooled off and on until Junior High, and then completely self taught from Jr High on. She was always sort of a homebody. Completely self directed and self driven, she continued to write and joined various writing clubs and forums to share her stories on. She also taught herself to be a computer pro and has helped her dad and I a great deal over the years (her dad and I are both quite comfortable with the computer... but this kid cracks codes and can figure out anything in a jiffy). She went through a phase of creating amazing music videos as a past time a couple of years ago (with the Windows Movie Maker, which doesn't have a lot of special effects... but her talent did the job). I'm impressed with them and may add a link here so you can view them on you tube.

Speaking of responsibilities, Mindy has always made me proud in the way she is so responsible. I'll never forget how wonderfully cheerful she learned to sew (around the age of 7) because she was responsible for a hat tearing and needed to sew it up. She has always acknowledged her duty and with a willing and cheerful heart has been willing to make things right. If she breaks it, she buys it or fixes it. And she doesn't ever ask for a free ride. She works for everything she has. I am proud of her for babysitting to buy her first car so she could get a job and have a car to get to work with. I must show you some photos; I'm so proud of her! :D Let me just first tell you that her old beater car looks awful (actually, Mindy and I both sort of think the multi colors look cool ;); but it runs and it was affordable! :D

Here is where Mindy works...

Here is Mindy, sitting on her beautiful car! :) ...which by the way, she LOVES...

because it is hers, and because it has a CD player and great speakers!

I almost forgot to tell you about Mindy and her sailing experience. I used to call her my little dolphin because she was is addicted to the water. We moved near the Coeur d'Alene Lake when she was 9.5. She took to water like a fish and could often be found at the end of a dock - jumping in and diving down 15 feet below to bring up rocks etc. from the lakes floor. When she wasn't diving or swimming she could be found sailing.

It was this summer at the age of 9.5 that she got to learn to sail. She was so good at it that the following year she was participating in a youth sailing event that her father and I were helping out with through the "Fast and Fun Program". The man who was running the program was short on captains. I recall looking around the beach to see if there were any adults nearby who might be able to help out. Before I could find anyone, I was surprised to hear the manager point to 10 year old Mindy and ask... "What about her? She looks like a great sailor; can she captain for one of the boats?" Of course, she was thrilled to! By the time she was 14 she was working with her dad on the beach as a Jr Sailing Instructor, and in the office of her dad's new sailing store... helping me with my responsibilities of bookkeeping, talking to customers, answering phone etc. At 15 years old she was a regular secretary there taking turns with me (mom :) so I could be home part time. It was great for me to have the break and very educational for her!

These days, Mindy can be found working at the Cafe' Carambola busing tables and helping out with various things in the back with the cook. She is becoming quite the cook herself; Mama Mia! She will one day make a man very happy! ~ :D ~ She cooks for the family every Thursday night while I am at the Family History Center as well as on what ever other night of the week she gets some kind of wild and creative cooking idea; the boys really love her cooking; I'm going to have to step it up a notch to keep the boys happy when she heads off to college. :O ~ Oh well... gives me a reason to pursue one of my dreams! :D Perhaps I will one day give her a run for her money! ;)

I have to head off to go somewhere, so this will have to do for now. But I must first leave a quick note to my girl...

Dearest Mindy,

Every day I thank our Father in Heaven for sending you to our family. I am so thankful for you, and so happy with you. You have far surpassed anything I ever could have dreamed of having in a daughter. I am SO PROUD OF YOU! :D 

Thank you Mindy... for being YOU! You are a beautiful, kind, intelligent, and righteous woman.

I love you so much!!!

Love always and forever,

Mom  :)