Appreciation of my Mom on her Birthday

It’s my Mom’s birthday today.

How can I ever express my appreciation to this woman who gave birth to me? Who took care of me and my brother and sisters when we were utterly, then mostly, then just a little helpless? Who has taken endless delight in being regaled by both my minor and major achievements? Who has been a compassionate ear and firm supporter through my many difficulties and failures?

Though I can vouch for her fullness of humanity and personal struggle, her love and appreciation have been the central fact of my life. She trusted me enough when I was five years old to let me hold and bottle feed my little sisters. She supported me when I was twelve years old and decided I wanted the winter jacket of synthetic fur that looked like a shaggy dog. She hugged me and tried to hide her tears when I was sixteen years old and boarding a plane to spend a year in Japan. She welcomed every achievement and comforted me in every loss – and there have been many of both.

Of course there is no re-payment – no possibility of ‘evening the score.’ Nor would she want that or need that. Instead, my obligation and my desire is to pass on to others what she has given to me—to continue to support my daughter and son-in-law, my wife, my family—and the people around me (both the ones I know and the ones I don’t know)—and extending this gift of appreciation and support to everyone.

I have a long way to go. But on this anniversary of her birth, I just wanted to state my intention to emulate her and to let her know how much she has meant to me.

Thank you Mom.

Your son,

Dave