Happy Birthday Donna Church Flaherty

Today is a very special day because it is my beautiful mother's birthday! We were so fortunate to be able to have her visit us this weekend and pre-celebrate her birthday. We had a great time and were sad to see her go. Somehow our new house wasn't quite a home until mom came and stayed in it.
Donna is number 8 of 9 children in the Howard and Ida Church family, and a native Arizonan. We can't go anywhere without running into someone who knows her or her family. Donna was a great blessing to her family after the loss of her older brother Johnny and brought great joy back into the house.
My mom is not only a great musician, but has always been willing to share her talents to bless the lives of others, whether its singing, playing the guitar, the violin, or the piano. Thanks to mom, all of us have come to appreciate music in our lives. I am especially grateful for this blessing. Some other things you may not know about Donna:
- She's very athletic! Unfortunately for her, double knee surgery years ago (before the days of arthroscopic) has prevented her from doing a lot of the things she once enjoyed and excelled at such as Tennis, basketball, snow and water skiing etc. She may not be able to do all the things that she once enjoyed, but she's still a gamer for just about anything (as evidenced by this picture of her off roading on a 4 wheeler this summer), and can still beat you in a game of horse or around the world.

- My mom used to be a prize winning barrel racer! I WISH I had one of those pictures to post, but she was really good and used to compete in rodeos in Utah and Arizona. She's still an expert horsewoman and loves nothing more than a good ride.
- I suppose this isn't any real news to anyone, but my mom is really smart. She was always a great student and was nearly finished with her degree in speech therapy (or pathology-I can't remember which) at BYU when she married my dad and had John. When we were in elementary school, mom volunteered to do Art Masterpiece for our classes and studied a great deal about famous paintings and artists. To this day, she is an avid reader and still attends institute classes.

The rest of the story about my mom isn't news to anyone. It goes like this: Service, love, church service, faith, service, kids, service, humility, service, family, service, service, service... Get the point? My mom has also always been my biggest fan. If I get good news, or achieve something, mom is the first one to know because she truly joys in the accomplishments of her children, even if no one else does.
Though I don't want to dwell on the issue, my mom has struggled MIGHTILY with health over the years and has been a rock through it all, never complaining. As a result, she has amazing faith, and also has become quite the Doctor. Many, many people call her with health questions or for advice. She's certainly the first person I will always turn to when I need help.

So here's to my mom! A great woman, wife, mother, daughter and friend! I love you! Happy Birthday!