For the very few of you who don't know....Phyllis is my beloved mother! Yes, ever since high school I got in the bad habit of calling her Phyllis. To some it is repulsively disrespectful, to me, I don't know...to me it is my term of endearment to her.
True story, every time she comes to visit me, or I go home to visit her, I spend many nights laying awake shedding some tears, wondering what my life would have been like, or would be like without her. (dysfunctional I know...but if you saw what she did in a day for me and my family you would too!)
Her life has not been very spectacular to say the least. She has overcome many hardships, become very strong in areas she never imagined possible, and through it all is my greatest example of positive thinking and perseverance. If I had to choose one quality I loved most about her it would be her ability to make everyone around her (especially her kids and grand kids) feel like they were the best humans ever born to planet earth. I truly remember never ever worrying about bringing home a report card, because no matter what the grade, I was still the smartest individual breathing. I never worried about gaining weight or looking weird in any given outfit because she really believed I was a raging beauty no matter what I looked like. Because of her, I did believe that anything was possible.
Thank you mom for your unconditional love, your priceless example of strength through opposition, love of simple pleasures, open mindedness, humility, feistiness, encouragement to think outside the box and not let the opinion of others sway you for anything. Thank you for singing U2, Counting Crows, or Pearl Jam 'church style' while folding laundry, for not giving a rat's butt about what anyone thinks of you, for letting your grand kids come and all but ruin your house with a smile the size of Texas that says you are loving every minute of it, and mostly for giving us the security of knowing that no matter what you'd always follow through with your word, and love us no matter what.
Happy birthday and I hope I can live up to your example...frankly I wish you could raise my kids for me. I mean I'd help and everything.....
I LOVE YOU MOM!!!!! My only wish is that you could bless our lives with 60 more years:)
(Phyllis gave me & Suzy the CD with this song 'In my Daughter's Eyes' a while back and ofcourse I love it because it reminds me of her!)
