Allen Farley / Guest Columnist
I’ve been blessed far more than I deserve. I’ve been married to the love of my life for almost 40 years. We have three wonderful daughters and 11 awesome grandchildren.  (OK, I’ll say it; I’ve also been blessed with three great son-in-laws). But this week I had an opportunity to celebrate one of my greatest blessings. This week, our family came together to celebrate my mom’s 90th birthday. Just stop and think about that for a minute.  (My mom is really where all of my many blessings began).
As children, we quickly learn to become glued to every word our mother says.  (Think about the depth of that statement). Our original psychological makeup of likes, dislikes and attitudes, were first influenced by our mothers.
Confession:  There is no doubt that all of my bad traits were developed between the time I started public school and the time God placed Muriel in my life to straighten me out.
My mother grew up in Brighton, Alabama. Her dad was a constable and Brighton’s police chief. He died from a gunshot wound when my mother was 12 years old. She grew up helping her mother raise her younger brother. That’s what young girls were expected to do in small Alabama towns in the 1930s and 1940s. My mother was raised to take care of others. That’s who she was as a young girl, and that’s who she has always been.  Me and my brother and sister probably didn’t understand what our dad did for a living until we were teenagers. But, I can assure you, we never had any doubt in our minds what our mother did. We always had a clean bed, clean clothes and food on the table
“Happy Birthday Mom”, I Love You!
1 Peter 3:3-4 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. (4) Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
God Bless America!!!

Allen Farley is an Alabama state representative whose district includes portions of Shelby County.