A Gift for My Mom

Every night before I fall asleep I say the same prayer as I have said since becoming a mother.  It is pretty simple.

"Please bless the boys, keep them safe and guide them on their journey to live long happy lives"

That is all I want for them.  If being happy means, a less lucrative career but one that fulfills them that they love, then great. If it means loving whomever they want regardless or race or gender, then so be it.  I will do whatever I can.  Everything I have done, or do since the moment I knew they existed was to make this simple prayer possible.  While pregnant, I took the right vitamins, as they grew I took them to all of their doctor appointments.  All this in an effort to form a solid foundation for them to achieve whatever it is that they can. 

There are so many factors that have already been put in place for this prayer to become a reality.  First, they were born in a country that even if you live at poverty level you are still part of the worlds richest citizens.  Next, they were born to parents who wanted them.  As much as I wish that was the case with most babies, it simply isn't.  They will never face starvation, and if they face disease we have the resources to help them.  Even if something were to happen to me, or Don, my boys would have a list longer than the Mississippi of people who would step up to help them. 

Simply put, they should be happy just with this knowledge.  But I too struggle sometimes, complain, whine about how I'm not happy.  I have just the same amount of fortune as they do, maybe even more because I have been alive longer.  

Today is my Mom's birthday. As I thought about what it is I should get her, I thought about what I would want from my sons. Of course it is nothing that you can buy.  It would be the assurance that they are happy. 

So, for my Mom, I would like to offer you this for your birthday.

Thank you for all that you did for me to help me arrive in this place right now.  

Thank you for the sacrifice,  your patience and more than anything the confidence that you had in me before I had it in myself.  

Thank you for letting me fail.  Thank you for celebrating the little accomplishments more than the big ones.  

Thank you for finding the humor in everyday situations. 

I want you to know I am happy. So very very happy. 

My life as an adult is nothing like I pictured it would be, it is better.  The good, the bad and the ugly.  You raised me to be strong, physically and emotionally (although I'm still working on that one).   

There is nothing on this Earth that I want for. I feel loved. What makes my life even more grand is that you are here to share it with me.  

I celebrate another year with you, because behind every great child is a Mom who would give them her life.  Behind every great Mother, is her Mother who already has. 

Today I celebrate you.  

Happy Birthday.