Happy Birthday!

Today is my mother's birthday.... after years of late cards and forgetting to call her on time (meaning the day of) I decided this year to celebrate her in print. I hope this piece means more to her than the purse we bought her last year (or was it the year before?) You see where I'm going with this don't you? Finally a birthday gift that means something and lasts forever.

In my lifetime I've had several mothers... the one who gave birth to me, the one who adopted me and this one. This is the mother who has been there for almost thirty years. God sent her at a time when I was a miserable child, not much hope in sight. She's remained where others did and could not. She should win a prize for longevity, but not only that... she deserves one for standing tall in the face of adversity, namely me.

I was a horrid child and then later as an adolescent I should have won a prize for something... I'm not quite sure what although I'm sure if you asked her she'd tell you. She certainly tells my kids! That would be Grandma's way of finally getting even after all these years, smile. Let me tell you what goes around comes around- in spades- be careful how you treat your mother, but then that's a story for another time...

Since this is about her I'll only tell you one story to illustrate what she's put up with from me over the years. When I was in junior high, maybe 7th or 8th grade my mother sent my lunch with me to school and for reasons I can't recall now- I wouldn't eat it. So lovely child that I was I would bring my lunch home and hide it in the desk drawer. By the time the Army of Ants marched on through the house my lunch (es) had been there quite a while. All she said was- and this speaks volumes to her credit- "Why didn't you throw them out?"

While we all may have several mothers in our lifetimes and I pray you do not, I do pray that you get one like mine. But you can't have her, she's taken.... she's mine....

Happy Birthday Mom, I hope this makes up for at least something I've done in the past, my kids are really starting to get to me- can you take the curse off now?

I love you and Happy Birthday!