to my mother, whose birthday is tomorrow

almost [blank] years ago, someone amazing came into the world.

i don't know if she came screaming, but i believe she came in looking around, curious as to who and what was around her. there were probably flowers on the windowsill, and that's probably the second or third thing that caught her eye instilling her love of flowers. the first being her dad; the second her mom.

and somehow, over the years, she learned to love. unconditionally. she learned how to not expect much, when she gives and gives and gives and gives.

i remember when she'd play barbies with me. do you remember that, mom?
she'd apparently color with me, too.
i remember her sitting me down on one of our old gray and white couches that have long since been retired as i cried because "i hated playing the piano." she imparted words of wisdom much like the wisdom paul's mother mary gave him and i stuck with it. it blessed my life.

i also remember coming home from a weeklong trip with granny and grampy. i was six. we had been all kinds of fabulous places: disneyland, san diego. but the one thing i remember the most was coming home to a very pregnant mother and having her hug me. i had missed her. probably more than i'm willing to admit right now.

so, happy birthday, mom. and happy mother's day. i hope that your garden turns out as lovely as you envisioned it this year. and i hope that someday i'll learn to give as much as you do.

love, scales