A few of the bajillion reasons I love my Mommy:

  • You stayed home with me and Adam even when money was tight, and then you worked part-time when we were in school (sometimes in jobs you hated) so you could be there when we got home.
  • You were my girl scout leader and sunday school teacher and volunteer school librarian and whatever else needed doing. You always found ways to be present and active in our lives.
  • You sewed me clothes from infancy right up through high school. These, not the fancy store-bought labels, are the clothes I remember with great affection.
  • You made popcorn balls with us for Christmas, and knew just how to wrap them and hang them on the tree.
  • You let me be myself and love me for who I am, even when the rest of the world seems to find that difficult.
  • You know how to be silly and dorky and laugh and play like nobody’s looking, even when they are.
  • You’ll drop everything you’re doing to contemplate a spider web or a cool-looking bug or a beautiful cloud. You haven’t forgotten how to wonder, even now.
  • You know five million songs, and sing them as much now as you did through our growing-up years.
  • You taught me to love books and reading.
  • You pursued your dream of finishing college and becoming a teacher as a 38 year-old woman who’d been out of school for almost 20 years (which I am just now beginning to truly appreciate), and you did it with straight A’s and honors.
  • You thought it was fun, when you were in College Spanish and I was in High School Spanish, to practice together and not speak English no matter what.
  • You put silly little notes in my lunch box all the way through high school. (I still have a stack of them.)
  • You were there not only for me but also for Shannon when we were facing pain and fear and loss we couldn’t begin to comprehend. You were as much a mother to him as to me in those hard days, and you helped fill his last days with love.
  • You adamantly insist that you cannot work a DVD player or spreadsheet program or cell phone (though I know you could) and let us help you with our “expertise.”
  • You’ve always known how to name a pet properly, from G.M. Yewditock back in the 80’s right up to Pergo in the new millenium. You ignore all cries of “What kind of name is that for a cat?”
  • You made us oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies and spaghetti from scratch, not from packets and packages and cans.
  • You sent us outside instead of turning on the television. (I still love that I never know what people are talking about when they talk about the TV shows and movies they watched growing up.)
  • You were never afraid to get your hands in the mud or the (home-made) play-dough or finger paints.
  • You never seem to run out of love, even (maybe especially) for those who don’t particularly deserve it.

I hope I can be half the mom to AB that you have been to me.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mommy. I love you.