Mother's Day

I have enjoyed seeing pictures of my friend's beautiful moms on Facebook.  My heart breaks for those who don't have moms to celebrate this year.  This may be the first year they don't have their mom around, or it may not be, regardless, my heart goes out to them.

I am so fortunate for the mom I have.  We have such a good relationship; I honestly cannot imagine my life without her.  This has been even more apparent in the last couple weeks.  While I was in the hospital recovering, she was right by my side.  She fed me ice chips, she washed my face, she put lotion on me, she shared the horrid hospital food with me, she was up with me at all hours of the night.  And never once did she complain, she only said she was grateful for the nap she got at home later that day, a nap that was so good that she woke up with pillow marks on her face.  ;)

Mom missed her calling as a nurse.  I always tell her that she would have made a great one.  She was the same way when I was having babies.  To see her bathe and swaddle and clothe little newborns was forever etched in my brain when mine were that young.  I say that she missed her calling, but I really can't say that.  What she does now suits her perfectly, and I am thankful that she never worked while I was growing up.

There were a couple years that she and my sister owned a flower shop, but I am not counting that.  She would still pick me up from school, then I would go to the shop with her afterward.  I used to love playing at the desk, with the cash register.  She would let me happily pretend for hours at a time, she would even let me help design wreaths and such.  And in the summer time, I especially loved being there.  There was a tanning salon in the upstairs of the shop, and often times, the lady who owned the salon would let me be in charge.

And yes, I used to lay in the tanning bed.  I enjoyed every single second, and to this day, I still think there is nothing as relaxing as that used to be.  I would turn up FM 100, and adjust the fan to blow on me and I would happily bake for twenty minutes at a time.  I can almost smell the lotion...

My mom is an amazing cook.  I get my love of it from her, and I still say that there is nothing quite like your mama's cooking.  She always made me breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I remember being the envy of all my friends in elementary school because of the yummy lunches she always sent me to school with.  All my friends wanted to trade, but I never would.  To this day, my food tastes nothing like hers.  I can use her exact recipe, but it doesn't matter.  She has magic in her hands.

Isn't she beautiful?  This was a couple summers ago, when we took a girls' trip to the beach for Lisa's 50th birthday.  Her eyes are like turquoise.  My sisters Debi and Trish got her eyes...mine are blue, but they have more grey in them.  I am so thankful for this beautiful lady.  I don't know if words can ever express just how thankful I am for her, but I thank God for her every single day.  She is thoughtful, kind, talented and a wonderful caregiver.  I saw that when she took such wonderful care of her mom while she was in the nursing home.

I wish you a happy Mother's day, Mom.  I love you the most.  I will see you in the morning!

For the rest of you who are moms, happy Mother's day to you.  I pray that if you're fortunate enough to have a mom still alive on this earth, that you get the chance to tell her how much you love and appreciate her.  Whether in person or over the phone, you are blessed to be able to talk to her.

Love to all.