I would like to take this opportunity to wish my mother a VERY Happy Birthday today.
We actually held a family birthday celebration for her last weekend complete with key lime pie (one of her favorite desserts). But, today is actually the big day.
My mom is very young natured. So, the notion of a birthday, to her, really doesn’t mean that much. She has and will always seem younger than her years. When I was in high school, for example, she got into the modern pop/rock music scene as much (or more) than I did.
What else can I tell you about her?
Well, for starters, she’s got an excellent memory – especially for names, dates and events (this led to me to refer to her, once, as ‘The Smithsonian’). If you start a conversation by saying something like, “I wonder what year it was that we…” she’d fill in the date and many more specific details.
You don’t really want to try to take her on in a game of Trivial Pursuit!
Secondly, she’s a huge fan of game shows, Elvis, “I Love Lucy,” the daytime drama (soap opera) “General Hospital,” and numerous modern reality shows (although she said recently she doesn’t prefer the most recent casting for “Dancing with the Stars”).
With regard to Elvis, really, I think she likes his movies as much (if not more) than his music. In fact, she’s a huge fan of movies as well as television.
Thirdly, she has LITERALLY never met a stranger. If you’d consider me an extravert, you’d consider her to be the same, times 10. Recent example – she fell and broke her leg recently and was forced to spend some time at a rehab facility. She was in a semi-private room, no less. Us family members all thought about how we’d feel in the same situation.
She thrived in it.
Not only did she befriend her roommate, she also added her roomies’ countless visitors to her list of friends and she did the same for the staff at the facility.
So, not only did she rehab a leg, she made about a hundred new friends. Thing is, that is experience isn’t unique. She makes new friends wherever she goes!
Finally, she has a kind heart and a generous spirit. Over the years, for example, she has provided countless hours of childcare to my sister’s two daughters and when my kids were younger, she did the same for us (though to a lesser degree).
At birthdays and at Christmas, she goes out of her way to try to find the exact gift item a person has requested, sparing no time or expense in the endeavor. At Easter, she never fails to find me a White Chocolate bunny (a practice that goes back to my childhood).
As she reached this birthday, my sister and I tried to do the same for her. We had a great family night together with a wonderful meal, yummy dessert and special family time together.
So, here’s to you Pat Gary. You’re a great mom and a friend to everyone you meet. Here’s hoping you have a VERY special day and a VERY Happy Birthday!
JG
Originally posted 9/22/2011
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