Happy Mother's Day

Dear Mom,
Today is May 12th, 2008 – Mother’s Day and I am here in Tennessee spending it with you. While driving here and while here, as I do at all times really, I think about how much you’ve done for me, how much you mean to me and how much I couldn’t have accomplished without you.

You had me when you were 19 and now I am 36. I imagine that your life was put on hold for quite some time in order to raise me, then my brother and finally my sister. No having children of my own, I can’t imagine what that must have been like. I remember seeing the sacrifices you made, and can recognize them now, but I’ll never know what it’s really like to put my life on hold and be responsible for another human being.

With that said, I want to thank you for the following;

1. Helping me get myself dressed in the morning for school and combing my hair.
2. Making breakfast and letting me help, especially with pancakes and cake that Harold the cat, later jumped into.
3. Making 36 cupcakes the night before the class party AND delivering them.
4. Showing up with the class Christmas tree, even though I “forgot” to ask.
5. Keeping all the “ornaments” I’ve made. From paper chains to clothespin reindeer and still pulling them at, now that I’m 36 years old.
6. Little League, Baseball, Softball, Volleyball, Ice Hockey games, being there, even in the freezing cold and never complaining – and also buying all the equipment that went with it.
7. Money for school dances.
8. Money for the “Book Fair”
9. For instilling in me the joy of reading, the importance of patients and what working hard can really get you.
10. Staying on me about “did you get your homework done”? And pushing me to go to college
11. Warning me about people I shouldn’t hang out with, letting me do it anyway and not saying “I told you so.”
12. For giving me the LOVE that is BLACK LICORICE – damn that stuff is good.
13. For encouraging me, even to this day.
14. For not walking away from me when I told you I was gay.
15. For letting me make my own mistakes and still be able to say “I love you”.
16. For teaching me that life is hard, and sometimes you just have to get used to the fact and work through it.
17. For encouraging me in my successes and not lecturing me for my failures.
18. For calling just to say “I’ve not heard from you, are things okay?”
19. For teaching me that even the simple things, like popping bubble wrap can be a great stress reduction.
20. For all the numerous vacations you took me on when I was a kid
21. For making me realize that things can always be worse but they can always be better.
22. For teaching me to be nice and kind to everyone, because you never know what someone else is going through.
23. To not hit my brother. (I was far older than my sister when she came along, so this was not a question.)
24. To say please and thank you, always.
25. For always letting me know that I can ALWAYS come home.

My admiration, love and and adoration for you, knows no bounds and for that I am grateful.

I love you, Mom. Happy Mother’s Day.

Jeri