Tomorrow
is my Mom’s birthday! I am a lucky, blessed woman to have
spent another year talking, laughing, problem-solving, cooking and reading with
my mom. I am so thankful that we continue making many more small and large
memories together. I am grateful for another year of her teaching me to be
brave and compassionate; to be a critical thinker. I am thankful that she has
taught me to laugh at the things that might otherwise make me cry. I am glad
she continues to try to teach me to take it one day at a time and let go of
worrying about tomorrow.
If you don’t already know her, let me introduce you
to my mom Lois. She was raised on a wheat and cattle farm in Eastern
Washington. The day she was married she had a huge bruise on her thigh, given
to her by the hoof of an irritated cow. She helped her dad brand cattle the day
before the wedding. Her beautiful dress and gorgeous face hid the fact that she
was and is tough to the core. She soon was a young mom to three children,
raising us in our early years in the heart of the Columbia Basin in central
Washington. She was also an artist and crafted her skills over the years until
she was not only taking classes but teaching classes. Creativity runs fast
through her veins. Lois is imaginative, original and very creative. Her art
comes from somewhere deep within her imagination as depicted on many, many
canvases. We children benefitted from her creativity. Our summer vacations were
full of planned (on her part) art activities allowing and spawning spontaneity
and inventiveness (on our part). My children experienced the same as they spent
time with her and my dad on Lake Sacheen, making journals, painting recently
caught fish to use for print-making, decorating birdhouses and never missing a
television set as they, too, became artists.
Lois’s
creativity carries over into her entire world. Her dinner parties are
remembered not only for her meal but for the beautifully decorated table. Her
sense of style and love of color and originality extends to the gifts she gives,
the clothes she wears and the friends with whom she spends time. What else do I
love about and learn from my mom? She is a huge reader and our taste in books
is similar and our discussions are cherished. She can’t find her way out of a
hotel or around a city block any better than I can and I love the times we are
lost together. She doesn’t think twice about changing her entire living space
and I have inherited the itch to move things around before it gets too
stagnant. She loves champagne and beautiful hor d'oeuvres, just not oysters on
the half shell. Although an excellent cook, she can easily have pie for dinner
and leftovers for breakfast.
Mom chooses not to live in black and white. She
chooses color and light and uniqueness. I am grateful to have experienced and
hopefully inherited not only her creative genes but also her ability to stand
up to adversity. She has had many challenges and somehow keeps putting one foot
in front of the other even when it seems to be a relentless uphill climb. I
take my biggest problems to my mom. She has an uncanny way of seeing the truth,
with a lack of pretentiousness and an ability to cut through the fog, go
straight to the heart of the issue and figure out a solution. She also knows
when there are no solutions and how to continue moving forward, graciously and
with acceptance. She knows how to give a great party and laugh at herself. She
knows how to make her family feel loved. I wish her another year of time with
family and friends. I wish her new and joyful memories. I wish her colors that
come together in her studio a wholly original way, shared with her artist
friends and a glass of wine. I wish her some really excellent new books to
read. I wish her a much healthier year to come. I love you Mom! HaPpY bIrThDaY to you!
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