My Momma was born

Today is my Momma's birthday.

I am really really glad that she was born!!

She is such a great Momma to all of us. She always laughs when people talk about empty nest. She keeps saying that she'd love to know what that felt like. Yeah, we are sort of hard to shake. There are times that I have come back home when we were moving or had extended visits during deployments. And lately, if I come back, I bring lots of extra folks - kids, dogs, cats, FISH. But Momma takes it and us in stride.

Then there is Lucas. Man was she there for Lucas. She was the best, most supportive, most informed caregiver he could have asked for during his Lymphoma and his Stem Cell Transplant. Of course, she would not have had it any other way. Seriously, this woman was the captain of "Team Lucas," and she has this detailed notebook binder thing going on that encompasses every blood test, scan, etc. that was EVER done.

She always said that when we were born,

she knew her purpose in life: to be a mother,

our mother.

She was always there for us growing up. I know I have said things like this before, but it is true. The woman drove all over the state of Georgia to watch me be the manager for the basketball team. Yep, she put many a mile on that car to watch me hand out towels and fill water bottles. She never missed Lucas in a swim meet or tennis game. And she was always there at band competitions or track meets. And she volunteered so much at school that most people thought she was a paid employee!

She definitely is not of the mind that your job is finished when your kids turn 18. Nope. She was always at North Georgia with me for Parent's Weekends, making breakfast for my sorority sisters during Rush, or just to take me out to eat for a much needed break. And she was always at Valdosta, too - at fraternity cookouts, scrubbing the bathrooms of new apartments when Lucas moved (again!), or even hanging out at the bar where Lucas was the DJ. Yep, she was always there for us.

And when I think back on Momma and our childhood, I realize just how blessed Lucas and I were. We never doubted that we were special and loved. We always knew that we could count on her.

Momma was and is the best Mom ever. And of all the zillions of things that she taught us through the years, I think the greatest gift that she gave us was the gift of positive thinking. If I had a nickel for every time I heard her say, "Well, things are never so bad that they couldn't be worse," I'd be rich. But the truth is, I am rich because she raised us to be optimistic. We are glass half full people. She also would say, "You have the same pants to get glad in that you got mad in." Man are those words priceless. She taught us that happiness is a state of mind and a decision that we can make every day. This gift that she gave us can never be underestimated. This way of thinking impacts my life every day, every hour, every minute.

So happy birthday, Momma/May!

And thanks for just being YOU.