Happy Mother’s Day To Nancy Jean Channell

In celebration of Mother's Day on Sunday May 13, we asked Patch readers to write a letter to their mother and let us deliver it. This is Sandra Jean Channell's letter to her mom:

Mother’s Day is a special day to let your mother know how much you love her and how greatly she is appreciated, and with my mom, there is no exception.

Growing up with eight other siblings was not always the easiest, especially being smack dab in the middle as the fifth child. Back in the day when I was growing up, I can remember always seeming to be too young for the older kid activities or too old for the younger kid activities. My mom always came to the rescue, finding me things to do or me helping her with household chores. Whatever it was, I cherished the time when I was able to just hang with her.

Our family grew up with a lot of love, which helped to mold us and kept us all well rounded. Patience was a virtue in our house. During my teenage years when we had but one bathroom to share, we learned patience quickly — especially before school.

My mother loved to garden and made us fresh homemade goods including pickles, tomato sauce, jellies, canned veggies and fresh-baked goods made with ingredients from her garden! She still gardens to this day at the young age of 81. She has the greenest thumb I know.

My mom is so beautiful inside and out, and her smile beams with pride, especially when she’s talking about one of her children, her grandchildren or her great grandchildren. She is devout spiritual Catholic who taught us to love one another and God and follow in his path of goodness, something we’ve passed down to our own children.

I hope my mother really knows the depths of the love I have for her. She is always there for me when I need anything, whether it be a shoulder to cry on, a friendly conversation with warm sips of tea, a ride to the airport, watching the babies or the dog or a warm embrace when I’m feeling blue.

I can never fully express the immense amount of gratitude I have for all that she’s taught me, given me and shown me over the years. I learned to cook, clean, sew, bake, can fruits and veggies, sow a garden, paint, crochet, camp and more. She is so artistic, and I have the good fortune of inheriting that from her.

I am truly blessed to have had her by my side though all the years, and I thank the Lord for such a precious gift. My middle name is the same as hers, and I just love the added special bond it gives us.

I just want to say, I love you, Mom, with all my heart and soul! Today is the perfect day to celebrate all of your goodness, beauty, grace, kindness, generosity, friendliness, laughter and tears, but most of all your beautiful heart that just keeps on giving.

Happy Mother’s Day, Momma! I love you so much.

— Sandra Jean Channell

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See all Mother's Day letters here.

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For next month's Love In A Small Town feature, we want to help you give Dad the best Father's Day gift ever. Write him a heartfelt letter to tell him how much he means to you, email it to locallove@patch.com and we'll feature it in your town's newsfeed on Father's Day. Get more details here.

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Image Credit: Sandra Jean Channell