Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my mother's birthday.

I love, love, love birthdays.  It gives us the opportunity to invest our thoughts toward the birthday girl or boy, and really make their place in our life something we consciously examine, and appreciate.

To say I appreciate my mom, just doesn't seem deep enough.  I have shared about the strength of my grandmother, and about how she brought her daughters out of a life cycle of abuse and dysfunction, sacrificing her own happiness for the greater good.  My mother is a product of that strength, and she passed the tradition on down to my sisters, my brother, and me.

My mom puts more into her day before she goes to work, than many of us do all day.  She'll do a load or two of laundry, unload the dishwasher, hose off the patio, walk the dogs, clean a bathroom, and mop a floor, and all this before she leaves the house for the day just before 7:00am.  She's up with the Marines, you say?  No.  Hugo says she wakes the Marines.

The woman runs circles around me, and keeps me in a perpetual state of awe.  She's the embodiment of the modern woman, and one of those rare souls who really can do it all.

Sharron Tisor rocks.  She's our Honey Badger.

When we lived in Nebraska, I missed my mother terribly.  We'd talk on the phone, but I couldn't see her.  This was pre-Skype.  I missed her hands.  Seeing, and having her hands near me.  I have always loved my mom's hands.

Her very beautiful children, and grandchildren will spend the day with her today at the beach.  We all inherited her beach gene.  It's the place we go to seek tranquility, and we're never disappointed.

Happy Birthday, Mom!  I love you, we all love you, and we are all forever grateful for the upbringing you gave us, and for the continued influence you have on all of our lives.  You are our hero.