Harris Happenings: Five reasons why Mother's Day is important to me.....

1. My Mom. From childhood to those awkward teenage years and all the time between, I always knew that I was loved. My Mom did a really good job of making childhood fun while letting us know that we were not going to get away with ANYTHING that we shouldn't be doing. To me she passed along her desire for perfection and determination to do whatever is necessary to get a project done-whatever it may be. There is not a lot that I enjoy more than sitting down and having a cup of coffee at 5:00 in the morning with my Mom.

2. My grandmother Betty. She is known to all of us as 'Babe'. I have a lot of great memories of summers spent at my grandparent's house. Babe would always make me French toast early in the morning. A lot of people think that I have a knack for gardening and landscaping but I've got nothing on Babe. She can grow anything! I've got a lot of projects lined up for the two of us when I get back to Mississippi!

3. My grandmother Jerleen. To all of us she is known as 'Gran'. I've always admired her strength and independence. When I was a kid she would take me with her so I could do my Christmas shopping. I often think back to Sunday lunch after church at her house every week. She makes the best peach cobbler. I can always depend on Gran to tell it like it is and that's a good thing.

4. My mother-in-law Peggy. I like to call her 'Super Peg' or 'the Pegsta'. I consider myself extremely blessed to have such a wonderful mother-in-law. I have watched her go through a tremendous amount of hardship over the last 8 years. Through all of it she remains strong, loving, and joyful. She is an inspiration to me.

5. My wife Jennifer. Every day I watch Jennifer with Kenzie and I am in awe of the incredible mother that she is. If I keep Kenzie more than 1 hour, I am exhausted. I really don't know how she does it everyday. I know that Kenzie is the sweet, happy, smart little girl that she is because of Jennifer. Kenzie isn't old enough to know that she has a great Mom yet, but one day I'll make sure she does.