>long overdue

>i blog a lot on my dad. admittedly, i’m usually griping about him, but even so, i’ve blogged about him way more than i ever have about my mom. i need to rectify that today. and thankfully, the idea to has come in a timely manner.

today is special. normally we hear a lot of bitching and moaning about today, valentine’s day, because we are bombarded with advertising telling us to buy all kinds of crap to prove our love to/for someone. but today is special because it’s my mom’s birthday.

now, unlike my dad, my mom doesn’t often talk about her childhood or do much reminiscing. occasionally there will be a mention of visiting my great grandpa’s farm or trips that she went on when she was in high school, but nothing in great detail.

my mom was the fourth of five children and the youngest of four girls. she was named after my grandfather, possibly because they weren’t sure they were ever going to have a boy. my mom was a fast runner as a child and often competed and beat the boys in the neighbourhood in races they’d have along their street.

by the time my mom reached high school she was quite popular, even though she was also quite shy. she was engaged to an older boy at the age of 16, before he went off to korea when he joined the army. she broke off the engagement, though, when he came home injured and told her that he wouldn’t be able to have children. later she joined the cheer leading squad and became head cheerleader her senior year as well as dating the star quarterback.

after graduation, my mother went to secretarial school. two years later she was working for the city downtown. this is where my father first met her. you can’t tell it from the photo above, but my mother has always been quite beautiful. i’ve always thought that she resembled vivienne leigh or elizabeth taylor, she has such beautiful blue eyes.

despite being engaged and eventually marrying her high school boyfriend, my mom ended up being wooed by my father and they married a couple years after meeting.

i’d like to end this blog by recounting a story that i think perfectly demonstrates the strength and fortitude that my mom possesses. not long after my parents were married, my mother was getting into her car to go to work. where my parents lived at the time is not far from where i live now. it’s an older neighbourhood and in this particular section most of the houses have alleys behind the houses. this is where a lot of people kept their cars. anyway, she was getting in her car to go to work when a teen aged boy came out of nowhere and pulled out a knife demanding my mom’s purse. a lot of people might have freaked out and panicked, but not my mother. she got in the car, slammed the door, locked it behind her and drove off. the next day she saw the same boy following a girl walking to school. she drove her car in between the boy and the girl so that he wouldn’t be able to catch up with her. to me, that is just amazing. it definitely makes me proud to be her daughter.

i know my mom will never read this, but i’d still like to say, i love you, mom. happy birthday.

long overdue

i blog a lot on my dad. admittedly, i’m usually griping about him, but even so, i’ve blogged about him way more than i ever have about my mom. i need to rectify that today. and thankfully, the idea to has come in a timely manner.

today is special. normally we hear a lot of bitching and moaning about today, valentine’s day, because we are bombarded with advertising telling us to buy all kinds of crap to prove our love to/for someone. but today is special because it’s my mom’s birthday.

now, unlike my dad, my mom doesn’t often talk about her childhood or do much reminiscing. occasionally there will be a mention of visiting my great grandpa’s farm or trips that she went on when she was in high school, but nothing in great detail.

my mom was the fourth of five children and the youngest of four girls. she was named after my grandfather, possibly because they weren’t sure they were ever going to have a boy. my mom was a fast runner as a child and often competed and beat the boys in the neighbourhood in races they’d have along their street.

by the time my mom reached high school she was quite popular, even though she was also quite shy. she was engaged to an older boy at the age of 16, before he went off to korea when he joined the army. she broke off the engagement, though, when he came home injured and told her that he wouldn’t be able to have children. later she joined the cheer leading squad and became head cheerleader her senior year as well as dating the star quarterback.

after graduation, my mother went to secretarial school. two years later she was working for the city downtown. this is where my father first met her. you can’t tell it from the photo above, but my mother has always been quite beautiful. i’ve always thought that she resembled vivienne leigh or elizabeth taylor, she has such beautiful blue eyes.

despite being engaged and eventually marrying her high school boyfriend, my mom ended up being wooed by my father and they married a couple years after meeting.

i’d like to end this blog by recounting a story that i think perfectly demonstrates the strength and fortitude that my mom possesses. not long after my parents were married, my mother was getting into her car to go to work. where my parents lived at the time is not far from where i live now. it’s an older neighbourhood and in this particular section most of the houses have alleys behind the houses. this is where a lot of people kept their cars. anyway, she was getting in her car to go to work when a teen aged boy came out of nowhere and pulled out a knife demanding my mom’s purse. a lot of people might have freaked out and panicked, but not my mother. she got in the car, slammed the door, locked it behind her and drove off. the next day she saw the same boy following a girl walking to school. she drove her car in between the boy and the girl so that he wouldn’t be able to catch up with her. to me, that is just amazing. it definitely makes me proud to be her daughter.

i know my mom will never read this, but i’d still like to say, i love you, mom. happy birthday.