dear mom …

… who was never mad that i made you be in a hospital for your and dad’s first anniversary, on your 46th birthday and for your 24th anniversary

… who sang (and whistled) “away in a manger” every night so i’d go to sleep

… who let me name my toys after the alphabet

… who mostly kept calm every time i flooded my sandbox

… who read hundreds of books to me and taught me to love reading too

… who didn’t make me do kindergarten

… who taught me almost every subject from first grade through 10th grade and never tired of learning along with me

… who helped me bake cookies, pies, bread and countless other things

… who helped me wash sheep, paint rockets, paint my room, sew things that were way over my skill level, learn an art medium i adopted on a whim, learn how to set a table with panache and polish and learn robert’s rules of order

… who drove me to swimming lessons, piano lessons, play practice, debate class, junior college and a hundred other places

… who was the best nurse ever through numerous flus, colds, bouts of strep throat and gamma radiation, asthmatic bronchitis, pneumonia and brain surgery

… who always believes i can do more than i believe i can