happy birthday, mom!

no, you're not experiencing deja voux. it just happens to be that my parents' birthdays are in fact 9 days apart.

so now that i've had a chance to salute my dad, indulge me for a minute to pay tribute to my dear mom too.

i'd post a picture of my mom, if i had one handy, but i think it's fair to say that you could just take the picture of me and add a couple of years. for the past five years or so, i've constantly been told how much i look like my mom -- and there's nothing wrong with that. i can only hope to have as much grace and as few grey hairs as my mom has managed in the past um... 30 years longer than me.

as the mother of three girls, she's had a heck of a job to do -- molding us into three very unique women. every one of us is different, but we all hold a little piece of our mom close to our hearts. for my oldest sister (known around here as anonymous), it's her unwaivering sense of purpose. my mother is always busy, always trying to start something new and help someone who needs help. my sister is just the same - always reaching out to those around her to help them with whatever they need. she's always busy, but never too busy to help someone.

for my middle sister (tmg), it's my mom's mommyness. it's that quality of knowing when someone needs a little tlc -- an instinctual feeling that she needs to reach out and make sure that the clouds clear, the wounds are healed and no tears need be spilled. some people may think that they are perhaps overcautious -- but their concern comes from the same place - the place that makes them both such great mommies.

as for me, well, besides my good looks, i have gotten my mom's creative streak. we all have, to a degree, but i've tried to continue my mom's quilting and crafting tradition. (you'd think that means that i made her a present. alas, i didn't. um. unless you count this blog entry. which i guess you can't. at least, you shouldn't, if you're my mom and you're reading this.)

so thanks, mom, for all that you've done for us over the years, but mostly, for making us the women we are today.