Birthday flowers

They say we should give flowers now – tell the people we love how we feel about them while they’re still here.

Too often we wait until they’re gone.

I tend to wait. In fact, I’m pretty darn good at posthumous tributes.

So with a special birthday on the calendar I thought I would ‘give flowers’ today to my mom. Yes, that’s right, Mom, you. As your father once said, for Hazel Punoid on her birthday.

~~~

My mother is loyal.

Any number of people in our family can tell you this. Any relative with any medical diagnosis can tell you Aunt Hazel or Sister Hazel will be present in your home, the emergency room or even the operating room. Some of my earliest memories are of watching you care for your dying brother. To know you is to know your nursing career is a sign of ongoing loyalty to your father. You have been no less loyal to me this past year.

~~~

My mother is creative.

Also among my early memories, Mom, are my hand-made dresses, many of which matched my grandmother’s dresses. I learned later in childhood that mine were made from the scraps of Heidi’s dresses. It turned out to be a pretty neat gift looking back at the pictures. Also in the creative department are a string of homemade birthday cakes – mostly decorated in pink, I might add .

~~~

My mother is stubborn.

There are softer ways of saying this, but the fact is you can be a pill. No one is telling you what you can or cannot do. No one. Ever. You always find a way to make things work, and anything you wish for is going to happen somehow. Also in the donkey department is your insistence on not being held back. Any shopper or walker at Southpoint can reinforce this. Torn tendons or not, you’re passing every last soul in the mall. That’s my mom.

~~~

My mother is hard-working.

Closely related to ‘stubborn,’ this might be your greatest personality trait. This is the mother who went back to school while working at Duke and with three kids at home. It makes me tired just thinking about it! Sheila and I were tasked with cleaning the housing after school in these years, and it’s pretty clear we got only a recessive gene. : (

~~~

My mother is faith-filled.

From a 13-year-old’s premonition of her father’ death to a lifetime of angelic experiences, your faith is your most important trait. Lucky for us you passed it on. We come to it in our own ways, but the connection is from you. That’s a lasting score in the DNA department, so thanks.

~~~

There’s more that can be said, but those are the highlights. (For instance, I could cite pink as a positive trait, but I’m not a good liar.)

I hope your day is as special as you. I hope you feel loved.

I’m glad you’re my mom.

– mitzi