Mom

Mother's Day is when we pay homage to our mothers. It is a concrete fact that none of us would be here without them.
Today I am grateful for my mom. She smokes too much, drives a silly yellow mini cooper, isn't the best cook, loves her old black & white movies (TCM is her favorite channel), and has a blind little old dog that wants to rip peoples faces off. What may seem to some as flaws I think give her character. She did cook me a wonderful five-spice chicken meal and something else that was very yummy recently. She is fiercely loyal and very loving. She calls me every birthday, early in the morning, to remind me that I'm not born yet until later in the evening. Then she proceeds to tell me about the labor etc. for about ten minutes as I hold the phone in the air. I get a call later in the evening and she tells me that I can now celebrate because I'm officially born! She was my very first soccer coach and my number one soccer fan for life. She says that she went to every home baseball game when I was a freshman, (not sure about that), even though I rode the bench every game. I was a severe asthmatic when I was a kid and she sat up with me on the nights when I struggled to breathe. When my asthma was really bad she would be the one to drive me to the E.R.. She used to paddle me with a wooden spoon until I got too big (I was a little asshole...now I'm a big one!) One day it broke over my shoulder and we laughed so hard that she wasn't mad at me anymore. She gave me honey and whiskey when I had a sore throat (probably so I'd pass out and shut up!) In 4th grade she saved my life after I cut my hand in half. She wrapped it up, held it up high, and squeezed it all the way to the hospital so I wouldn't bleed out! When I was 19 she gave me her car for Christmas (86 VW Jetta.) In college she mailed me care packages full of goodies. When I broke my neck she quit her job and sat with me every day in the hospital and rehab (a good 3 to 4 months.) We speak french to each other even though it is usually not a very long conversation because neither of us remembers much.
Do you know why I love her the most? Because she is MINE and I don't have to share her (except for my brother and sister in law) with anybody!
Muah! I love you mom!