Today is the day set aside to honor mother…

I like saying Happy Mother’s Day to everyone I meet, not just those whom I know are a mother. I do this for the simple reason that I know everybody has a mother.

My mother put her children FIRST. She took this role on with vigor! Looking back at my life, I know she was the most influential person in my life. The deepest-seated memes were planted by her. I am most grateful for her influence because I know she always had my best interests at heart. She did for all of her children and her children’s children.

My mother prayed and agonized over all of us. Not out of a need to control, but out of a desire for the best for us. She agonized as we transitioned into self-sufficient adults. True, she complained at some of our choices, but only out of a desire to have us avoid heartache. She was ALWAYS there when the inevitable failure occurred, and went out of her way to help us pick ourselves up. She was all about tough love, and was not above an “I told you so?”. But again, she only did this to help us learn how to avoid the next misstep.

Mom was a wonderful cook. She taught these skills to my sisters, who became incredible in their own culinary skills. She taught them to prioritize her children. She did not discriminate either, and her three boys are excellent in the kitchen also. Basically, she taught us to be self-sufficient. Now I should point out that this is NOT the same as being Selfish. The Golden Rule is the foundation of her guidance.

Finally, I would like to mention how she silently watched all her children, gran-children, and great gran-children from afar, everyday of her life. She was not simply prying, she honestly wanted to know what we were all up to. She shared our joy and our misery. She was most happy when they were directly in her presence. She worried about each one of us equally.

I bring this up to share a story: When I went into the Air Force, I was a strong believer in UFOs and beings from other worlds. She watched me read abduction stories and UFO stories. I drew pictures of the different types of craft I learned about. I was known as a true believer. Interestingly, when I came back to California from Texas, I was no longer a believer in UFOs. My mother pointed this out to me because she was a bit shocked at the change in my beliefs. It was interesting and amazing because I never mentioned anything about it. She simply saw the change in me.

I love you mom!