Unconditional Mothering

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us when adversity takes the place of prosperity when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts."--Washington Irving

September 23rd (today) is my beautiful, amazing, loving mom's birthday. There just aren't enough adjectives to describe her. She is spending her birthday in Biloxi, Mississippi. I look forward to being with her every year on her birthday, this year I will have to wait until she gets home. I wanted to make it a surprise and treat her to a pedicure (at a local salon, I wasn't going to attempt to do it myself). I don't think she has ever had a pedicure, she doesn't know what she is missing. I talked to her earlier today, she said Ray was going to take her to a nice dinner (which she will most likely on eat a salad, maybe she will splurge on pasta...that's usually all she ever eats--when she actually eats, it's no wonder she's teeny tiny). She's probably hitting the penny slots up at the casino as I type this...talk about some luck, she has it! I could never imagine winning (or sitting long enough) to win the amount of loot she has won off the penny/nickel slots!

My mom deserves a million kinds of happiness. She is the most giving person I will ever know. She won't let me pay for anything when we are together and when I try she always finds a way to pay me back at the end of the day. She is so strong, although she is reluctant to admit it (she can also be hard-headed at times, but aren't we all?). I love to hear her laugh, that true giggle and smile I have heard for so many years. She is beautiful, creative and wise. It seems like everything she touches turns out just right, including some of the most delicious meals you could ever imagine. My mom has given me so much, even when I don't deserve it. The most important of these is the love she has shown me during a lifetime.

I could go on forever about my marvelous mom. I hope she is having an awesome birthday. I thank god for her every single day, I'm truly blessed! She has a heart that never hardens, a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.

Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you!! (btw, Bill and Cacy say, "Happy Birthday too!")

"To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power."-- Maya Angelou