For My Mother

Today is my mother's birthday. I stopped over to her house after work to give her a card and some of her favorite danish (yes, I cheated a bit on the diet, but it was her birthday, after all).

We had coffee, talked, got caught up on the recent stuff and then had a bit of fried steak with her and my Dad and then left.

I wanted to share this because I am learning to feel grateful about all the people I have in my life that I care about. One of them, is of course my mother.

There are times when I love her so much it hurts. There are times she drives me nuts, and I'm sure I drive her nuts, too. Tree to Apple, I am my mother's daughter, some ways I don't want to admit, but I am.

I am grateful I still have my mother in my life. Always, even on the days when she and push the buttons on each other and get so frustrated at each other we could pull out our own hair in utter exasperation. But I am able to visit my Mom at her home, she is still in great health. She beat breast cancer and so far so good, it has not dared to come back. She raised me, my sister and my brother. She is a fabulous grandmother and she has aged beautifully through all the good times, the bad times and the sad times.

My birthday wish for my mother is for her to be happy. I want her to laugh more, to do more things for her own good as well as the good of the family. She needs to start living HER life, not living her life for everyone else. I want her to not ever have any regrets about what could have been instead of what was.

Happy Birthday, Mavis. I love you to the moon and back.