A special wish

My mom is turning 65 years old in a few days. You would love her if you met her and you would remember her if you have. She's funny and irresistibly charming. She is a very generous person and loves to spoil her grandchildren with her generosity. She's hip and I love that about her.

Her life has not been easy, the road she has traveled has been full of pot-holes and yet she is happy.

She is the only girl of 5 brothers and the baby. They all called her sister and I loved hearing them call her that.

When she was 13 years old her daddy (as she affectionately calls him) dropped her off at the movies and told her he'd be back to get her and he never returned. He died in a car accident and she would never see him again. Her memories are full of his love for her. Story after story of his protection over her, his baby girl. His love still there, still remembered some 50 years later.

I would have loved to have met this man and to have experienced his love first hand.

She married my father when she was 18 years old. He was not her father I'm afraid. He didn't cherish her nor treat her the way her daddy would have liked but she had three children and a commitment and she stuck. My father was an alcoholic who's behavior I can only describe as mean and irrational and yet my mom made a home for us there. Not a perfect home, but a home. My memories have failed me on so many levels concerning my childhood and that I believe is a gift from God yet I remember her devotion to us and her desire for us to succeed in this world. I am not bitter about my childhood because I only seldom remember her being bitter or angry about her life there.

She just lived it and made something out of it and in the process taught us to live where we're at. I'm grateful for that, it has helped me my entire life to live out the rough spots.

She loves and she enjoys life like no one else I've ever been around(besides myself). She never meets a stranger and will have a crowd around her wherever she's at, if you don't watch her.

She's protective, she's outspoken, she's a a little bit of a rebel when it comes to authority and hates bad service. (hey, I didn't say she was perfect :)

She married her a Navy man and he has smoothed out some of her rough edges or maybe it's she's smoothed out some of his; either way they are good together.

I want to say a Very Happy Birthday to my mom.

Your devotion to our family and your love of life

and love for the Lord is inspiring....

"Her children rise up and call her blessed.." Proverbs 31:28