Happy Mother's Day 2008

"All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother."- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

Here’s to moms. Especially MY MOM. Reasons, things, memories I love about my Mom, Grandma and Mammy…

1. She’s MY Mom. No one else – well, other than Josh – can say that.

2. She knows when I need to hear “I love you, sug. It’ll be okay," in the last few months more than ever Sug is short for Sugar. When I said last year on my Mother's Day blog that I thought the shortened version should be “sHug" with an H, she took noticed and has been typing sHug ever since.

3. She taught me how to cook from scratch and from the heart. Or should that be from the stomach? She passed along her “sense of spice” (although she much prefers gah-lic and I prefer curry)– we don’t necessarily need a recipe to cook. We can both just kinda make it up. She’s also the queen of cooking new meals with leftovers. Her Chinese low mien or turkey enchiladas are her best leftovers.

4. She’s pretty crafty with a sewing machine. She can hem my pants and skirts, fix Patrick’s holes in his jeans, and make super superhero capes. She’s also much better than me at making bows. She has tried her hardest to get me to be crafty in a sewing way, but I know my level of patience and it’s just not there for sewing. I’m sure glad she was in 4-H.

5. She was adamant that Josh and I take piano lessons. It was a chore, but it taught me how to read music. Knowing how to read music was a bonus when I got into choir. I was in choir all 6 years of junior high & high school and I owe my singing talent all to her. It’s funny . . . when I sing with the choir or even in the congregation, my voice naturally sings what she is singing even if I don’t necessarily know the part. The only song we can sing 2 different parts on is “Silent Night.”

6. Along with the musical talent she passed along, I also got her dancing gene. Oh, Marsha can shake it. And LOVES TO. I have heard many stories about her dancing adventures. If we are at a dance, I know I can count on Mom to be by dancing machine partner.

7. She’s a first-class hand shark concert puppeteer. That party at Jenn’s & Eric’s was SO MUCH FUN! Who knew that hand sharks could sing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” John Denver and the Mamas and the Papas. I am laughing right now thinking about that one. I don’t know if everyone else found it as entertaining as we did, but that was some concert.

8. Her “Marsha-isms.” Just a few. . .

a. She thinks it would be fun to play “short base” not shortSTOP, but short base.

b. She thinks she’s a good “fluffer.” And by “fluffer” she means of bows and flowers -even though I have told her what a “fluffer” really is.

c. She was telling us a about a meeting she was in and said they were “knocking ideas off the wall.” What she actually meant was “knocking around ideas” OR “bouncing ideas off the wall.”

d. After 4 years of watching Tech football, she asks “Who’s Taurean Henderson?” Season ticket money well spent.

e. She recently told my dad he looked "H.Q." By that we assume she meant a cross between GQ and HR.

9. She’s the best “Doodah” a daughter could ask for. She has stepped into the role of grandma with such enthusiasm and delight. It’s fun to see her (and Papa J) interact with Patrick in ways I was never able to interact with my grandparents. I am thankful that they are young enough and healthy enough to be able to play tackle or horse or catcher with Patrick. And that they are close enough to be able to enjoy him everyday if they wanted. I am thankful that she can be the "Paddy wagon" when I can't (that's what we call it when Doodah or Papa J picks him up - clever, huh?). I find it humorous that she can’t say no to a 4-year old who wants just one piece of chocolate before bedtime. Or one more episode of Blues Clues. She (and Papa J) has truly embraced what being a grandparent is all about.

10. She’s MY MOM. I think I already said it, but that’s a big enough reason to mention it twice.

On grandmas. . .

Grandma – my mom’s mom- could always remember birthdays. And there over 60 of them on that side of the family! We are Bednarz's remember! She was also good with just “just because” notes and pass it on cards. I think I inherited my birthday-remembering, card-sending talent from her. She also had such a strong faith and commitment to the Rosary. I want to become stronger in my faith. I know she is one of my guardian angels who can help me strengthen my faith. I definitely didn’t get her baking ability. She could always bake the perfect dessert and baked almost every day.

Mammy – my dad’s mom – is one with-it 90-year-old. She calls me out of the blue to talk about the Rangers and Tech sports. She often calls while a game is on TV to ask about plays. I love that she is an avid Jeopardy! watcher and Ken Jennings fan. I think of her on the days when I get to watch it. She always has a cross-word puzzle lying around and we have actually finished a couple together. I appreciate her for her no-nonsense way of life and that she just calls out of the blue. We moved her into an assisted living facility last week. She knew it was time and she knows almost everyone there. I am excited to go visit her new digs tomorrow.

These are 2 more ladies that I owe a lot to, but still have a long way to go to be the example they set.

On friends. . .I am so fortunate to have so many “cool mom” friends. Each one of them has taught me something new about what it means to be a mom. I hope I am a good “mom friend” in return.