It was my mom’s birthday today. She didn’t really do anything because she had to get Sandy’s husband’s funeral, but tomorrow she’s going to the Big E, a fair in Massachusetts. Or did she say King Richard’s Fair? I can’t remember. So anyway, this is a little tribute blog to her because she’s the most amazing woman I know. She is so generous to people, too generous sometimes, and it’s gotten her into trouble, but it hasn’t changed her. She hasn’t become cynical or pessimistic about life. Her eternal optimism is truly commendable. Her strength, though, is what I admire most. She would do anything for her children and she’s proven it time and again. Some don’t agree with the way she raised us, but she mixed the perfect amount of freedom with the perfect amount of discipline. Sometimes, I don’t understand how she could have allowed us as much freedom as she did; I can’t imagine how terrified she must have felt that we would get hurt. But she realized that sometimes, you have to make mistakes to learn. And she’s passed the knowledge onto me, I know. The best part is, when I realized that I made a mistake, she was there for me with advice to help me correct it. I can’t even explain how much it meant (and means) to me that she was always ready to listen to me and accept me, not judge me. She has always been one of my best friends and I’m so grateful for that.

I wrote her a poem about a year ago that I never did show her. I’m going to put it here: