Birthdays are for Winners Like My Mother

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It is my mother’s birthday today.
It’s a milestone one.
I’m sure she wouldn’t like me telling you her age, but here is a hint- she was three years old when she had me.

I was not able to make it home for my mother’s birthday. She lives in New York and I live in Texas.

This fact tore me up.

I took off the weekend just in case I was going to be able to magically fly home, but I didn’t magically do anything this weekend. Instead I moped around the house and contemplated human existence, listened to Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life” on loop, and shed a tiny tear every time the song “As” came on.

Considering I wasn’t able to make it home, I’d like to take this time to wish my amazing mother a wonderful birthday.

Will you please help me in wishing my mom a Happy 30th?

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You did everything right, but sometimes doing right just doesn’t guarantee you anything.

Aren’t you the one to always tells me that?

“You can’t be afraid to live life out of fear of getting hurt.”

And boy, did you get hurt.

But being the resilient woman you are, you took on the challenge of being a single mother like a pro and you gave me the best childhood anyone could ask for. So good in fact, that I don’t think I’ve quite gotten over it.

We’ve had some great times, haven’t we?

You and me against the world.

Thank you for being my number one fan, the first person I can call when the wonderful and the terrible happens. Thank you for always believing in me when I did not; when you’d create whole scraps books to remind me of how much I’ve accomplished. Thank you for telling me when I’m being a boob, even when I don’t like hearing it.

I’m so thankful to be like you- Jewish guilt trippin’ and all (I will say that I tried fighting that one tooth and nail).

My only fear Mom is that you haven’t done everything that you’ve wanted to do.

Let’s change that, huh?

No more playing safe.

It’s time now.