Happy Mothers' Day, Mom

Mothers Day has always been a special day in my life -- and for the last probably 10 years, I always spent Mom's birthday and Mother's Day with her. Particularly the last 10 years because that's the last time I got divorced and mom figured, "you don't have a wife and a family there, you got no reason not to come home!"  LOL. Her logic was hard to argue with, so that's the way it was. She applied the same logic to Thanksgiving and Christmas -- but she did let me off the hook for Easter and Halloween :-)

But this Mother's Day is different, because it's the first one of my life when I don't have mom -- because she got her angel's wings on January 26th, just a few months before her 85th birthday. So my vision is that she's up flying loops around heaven, with that incredible smile you see on this photo -- my favorite smile, because usually when we pointed a camera at her she made a face and stuck out her tongue in defiance -- then wondered why she had funny looks on her face in all the pictures we had of her! Over the years we managed to get a few other good ones, but this one is my absolute favorite.

There are so many things I could say about her, and honestly this photo belies the little spitfire she could truly be, but she was a mother supreme and a grandmother extraordinaire, and on days like this one there's a little hole in my heart, because I miss that grand lady...

I've a dear friend getting married today and I'm going to her wedding. That's a dilemma in itself because usually when I attend a wedding I'm either the photographer or the groom! (not saying how many times I've been married. LOL.)  I'm am so pleased to get to celebrate my friend's bliss... but today is mom's birthday... and tomorrow is Mother's Day, so today is bittersweet.

When she passed, I put together a Photo Tribute to Mom, and if you haven't seen it, I'd be pleased and honored if you'd take a peek: http://bit.ly/10i6j2I. But beyond that, it was best said, I think, by this beautiful image sent to me by my friend Honey Delapa which reads: "Long after we've said our goodbyes, our hearts will remember."

If you are a mother, then Happy Mother's Day. I pray that you leave the lasting effect of love on your children that my mother has left on us.  If you still have your mother... cherish her, and I pray that she's had the lasting effect of love on you -- and you on her -- that my mother had on us.

Happy Birthday -- and Mother's Day -- Mom!  We love you!