October 7th

Today my mother turned 59 years old.

28 years ago, when she was 30 years old, she gave birth to lil’ ol me. I barely figured that out today. I never actually bothered to calculate it before, neither did she--we would both guess a number between 32-34 and be done with it. But I'm so glad I know now. 30 is such a strong number--such a tangible number now, and yet before today, I never knew it.

It may not seem like such a big deal to know the exact age one's mother was the day one was born, but for some reason it is to me. I can relate to her in an entirely different way now...30 is only two short years away, after all. I mean, I still feel like such a child sometimes as I look at my messy closet with clothes strewn everywhere, or the bowls I leave on my desk with rings of curdled milk at the bottom. So I have to wonder, did my mom feel the same way? In her moments of laziness or the times she really didn’t feel like cooking dinner or folding clothes, did she feel like an adolescent again…desperate for her mom to come over and help her?

I’m not going to assume. Because I know that my experience of having a mother was much different than hers. So for that, all I can say is I’m thankful for having a mother that loves me as much as she does. I’m thankful that I have a mother that will come help me (probably because she knows how much I hate laundry). I’m thankful that when I got home from the hospital, she was there to cook my family’s meals. I'm thankful that she loves my children. Most of all, I am thankful for her presence.

Happy Birthday Mom! Next year I promise to call you first thing in the morning and sing "Happy Birthday To You"--I am so ashamed of myself that I didn't sing to you all day long!

Miss C and Auntie Anna

...And Happy 1/2 Birthday to my Sugar Bug, Miss C! You are the most beautiful baby girl in the entire solar system! You take my breath away (to quote Daddy) and you make my world a much, much better place. Te quiero, mi preciosa...

Mom, Miss C, and Auntie Anna