Dear Mom...

Dear Mom

Thank you for having me. If not for you (and a little input from Dad) I wouldn't be here wandering amongst the living.

Thank you for changing all my dirty diapers so many years ago. I blame the frequency and intensity of the odor on the baby food. I apologize profusely.

Thanks for spending countless hours showing me those dang Math "flash cards". I must have been one cute kid for you to not have strangled me during those trying times.

I had absolutely no interest in math and I'm sure my stubbornness against learning it was frustrating. You knew all I wanted to do was to go outside and play and yet you persisted against incredible odds. I still suck at math, but I do wish I had spent more time trying to let you teach me, and less time fighting you against it. Those trials did lead me to find one of my long time passions: ART! No math required. 

 You may be happy to hear, or not, that I can still be just a stubborn!

Thanks for allowing us the freedom to roam. While I am sure there were times when you were glad to have all three of us out of the house, I am also sure it was hard not to worry about us every time we ventured into the world; riding our bikes around the neighborhood, or running wild through the woods during summer vacation. That youthful freedom instilled a curiosity about the world and a sense of adventure that remains strong to this day.

Thanks for coddling us when we needed it, but allowing us the freedom to learn from our mistakes. Although I never figured out why all of those flying contraptions and parachuting off the roof never worked, I did learn the dynamics of gravity and that testing the first draft of a concept with a live human is not always a good idea. To this day, I am much better at thinking things through, planning and organizing.

Thanks for not buying us everything we always wanted. While we weren't poor, I know we were far from being rich. I am sure there were many Birthdays and Christmases where I didn't get everything I wanted. The truth is: I don't remember them. We had everything we needed. It taught me to appreciate the things I do have. It also taught me that the things I really want, but don't really need, will be discounted eventually. (On the other hand, thanks for the chrome "Spyder" bike! That was awesome!)

Thanks for making me practice my trumpet for a half hour every freaking day whether I wanted to or not.

After many years, I actually got pretty good at it. It was good to know that if I wanted to be the best trumpet player in the high school band, I could have. Of course, that would have required even more practice. All that trumpet playing gave me one of my other lifelong passions: Music

Thanks for trying to teach me to play the piano. To this day I wish I knew how to play it, but I am also aware that I don't have enough desire to spend a half hour a day practicing. I always enjoyed hearing you play it, and I even had a pretty good time when you "coerced" me into accompanying you with my trumpet for that church event.

Thank you for putting up with me for almost 18 years while I lived at home.

And to all the other "Mothers" out there:

Happy Mothers Day!

Always remember and never forget:

While there will be times when your kids don't seem to appreciate you, deep down they do, and always will.