My Mom, Rose

Yesterday was a day to celebrate mom's. For some people that means remembering their mother who has passed on to the next life. For others it means being reminded that their relationship with their mother is not a healthy one. I have friends in both those groups and I feel for them.

Thankfully, I'm in the group who truly get to celebrate, honor and thank their mom's. To say I was blessed with great parents would win the blog award for understatement of the century. However, instead of making an exhaustive list of all the wonderful things about my mom and risk having you not read it because of its intimidating length, I've narrowed it down to my two favorite things about my mom, Rose.

1) Her sense of humor. I'm not just talking about the ability to tell a good joke or deliver a good line. I'm talking about the knack to deliver it at the right time. My mom has always made me laugh. She taught me that laughter is wonderful and powerful medicine. She also taught me that what Woody Allen said is true, "If it bends it's funny, if it breaks it's not funny." A sharp wit can be used to soothe or skewer. In Roses' case, that wit has been in good hands.

2) Her love of learning. Rose possesses the wonderful combination of curiosity and a willingness to change. It's one thing to learn about new things and ideas, it's another entirely to make the effort to change your actions and opinions based on that new information. She's not a radical or a dimwit who changes her mind like the wind changes direction, but she is willing to admit when she is wrong and make an effort to grow and move forward.

As I said before, the list could go on and on. I think I'll just work on being like her in those two ways for now. That would be quite an accomplishment.

Happy Mother's Day Rose! I love you and I'm truly thankful for you.