Mama Mia

My mom is 100% nice. (I only have half of her genes, so you do the math ;).) But don't be fooled by her sweet gentle childlike innocence. Underneath it all actually lies a resilient woman, emotionally strong even in the face of a catastrophe. She had the misfortune of going through a horrific business failure. She tried to save a sinking ship that could not be saved. Regretfully, in the midst of it all, I was not there for her. I was thousands of miles away, starting college, unable to afford even a phone call home. Nobody was really there for her to understand what she was going through. But I guess all of us have that defining moment when we are at our darkest hour. That is when our conversations with God becomes deeper. Our belief that we are His child is affirmed. Never again do we lose confidence that He will always comfort us. Never again do we doubt that He will show us the way. The financial repercussions of "the problem" cast a long shadow in our family. But really we are ok, that is our only problem; we've learned to get by with having nothing. We have the more important stuff. We have our health, we have each other, and most of all, we are strengthened together by our faith.
Each new day only gets better.

On this day, I wish my mom a happy, happy birthday. I thank my mom for all that she is and all that she is not. What I admire most about her is her endless capacity for unconditional love. Thanks so much for all your love, mommy! May all your dreams come true!