Monday, July 5, 2010

Mommy Profile: Margie Marsden

I absolutely could not go any further on this blog without featuring my mom. I think she is pretty great and I hope as you read this, you will too!



Meet Margie: Homemaker, Wife, Warrior.

Margie became a mother almost 25 years ago when she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl...but enough about me =). She sacrificed more than most to bring babies into her family. Due to a medical "malfunction," her body had a hard time carrying children beyond a certain point. Margie went through four incredibly painful miscarriages. These miscarriages all occurred beyond 18 weeks after going through much excitement and horrible morning sickness. Her desire to increase her family, and incredible faith gave her the courage to continue to try.

The majority of the miscarriages happened between my brother Sean and I who are four years apart. My mom tells me that after one miscarriage, she was too discouraged to answer the phone so she would have her two year old answer and tell the person that "mommy couldn't come to the phone." She believes her difficulty to carry these babies helped her appreciate motherhood in a different way. Through all her heartbreak she carried on like a warrior.

Margie has always put faith and family first. She does not distinguish between the two, creating an environment of peace and harmony within her home. She has always been a motivator for good. When she met my dad, he had little ambition (what 15 year old boy does?) but she motivated him to serve a mission for our church, graduate from college and become a CPA (instead of a D.J. or Forrest Ranger...which were his previous desired professions). N0t only did she help mold him into a great man, she was supportive of his decisions.

Margie has always been a homemaker. Although she graduated from college and worked in the health profession, her desire was to stay at home and raise her children. Coming from a home with a working mother, I don't know when she decided this, but she knew that her home was where she was supposed to be. About 10 years ago however, with all her children in school, she decided to enter the public school system and become an elementary school substitute teacher. She enjoyed doing this, especially when she was able to be in a class with my brother or sister. When they asked her if she would mind substituting for the Jr. High she shirked away. After all, she already had to deal with one crabby teenager, why would she want to deal with hundreds of them. After much coaxing on my part, I convinced her that she would be fine in the Jr. High/ High school scene and she has spent the better part of those years in the upper grade levels. My mom is a Weber Warrior. She knows all the cheers and the school hymn, attends the football games, chaperons the dances, hob nobs with the teachers, flirts relentlessly with the students, and even uses her cell phone during class. Margie has become a fixture in the halls of Weber, and has even been offered a full time teaching position, which she may someday take.

My mom is a spiritual warrior. I would consider my dad a scriptural scholar. He has a vast knowledge and a strong testimony of Christ but my mom has all the faith. She never budges one inch from what she believes. Although at times it was difficult and a pain as a teenager desiring to push moral limits with a mother who would not bend, I can see now that she did so as a protection for me and my siblings. My brother is serving a mission for our church, and has often introduced investigators (through e-mail and facebook) to my mom, asking her to share her testimony. To date, my mom has been an instrument in two of his baptisms. I teased him, because you aren't supposed to take your mommy on your mission...but they can see her goodness shine through.


Some random facts you might want to know if you ever meet Margie: she does the worst foreign accents in the entire universe. It is possibly the most entertaining thing at parties. Ask her to do one for you and you will get about 6 dialects in one short sentence. She loves lemon water and loves putting sugar on the rims of glasses (it is a Sunday tradition). She likes adding special touches to parties, outfits, and meals to give it that extra umph. She takes charge in almost every situation, especially around her extended family. She loves gardening and digging around in dirt. She loves the little girls of the neighborhood and will call them over for princess parties where they dress up and come over to have fun with her. She makes the most gourmet sandwiches you can imagine. People open up to her and tell her their life story. She should have been a psychiatrist. My daughter PREFERS her to me. I don't know what she does but when we are around her, Hannah dives for Grandma and screams when I take her away, trying to wriggle out of my arms back into hers.

She is a great mom which is why she is featured on this blog! I hope to emulate her someday!

2 comments:

  1. Thanks!! It is easy to be a good mom when I have such great children :)!! I love you!!

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  2. I would like to second everything Melissa said about Margie. There is no better example of what a mother and lady should be. I often find myself in situations and immediately ask myself "what would Margie do?" The answer to this always proves successful. Thank you for your wonderful example! Love you both!

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