Thank you Mom on your birthday

Today is a special day.  It's my Mom's birthday.  She's the one that raised me, never missed one of my sporting events including swim meets, soccer, baseball, basketball, football, we played golf together, and we went to breakfast together.   We traveled all over the northwest to swim meets, a memory I will never forget.  She took me skiing, and chaperoned in ski school, and I think she did so she could be there if I needed her for anything.

She was always there but always made sure she wasn't on the same ski bus as me, which probably was a good thing.

She made my ski sweaters, hemmed all my pants and slacks, and even took in clothes that were too big for me because I was such a little guy growing up.  She sewed the binding on all my wife's quilts, something Kathy talks about all the time.  She always had tapioca pudding waiting when we visited her. She took care of our dog Boogie every day when we commuted to Bellevue from North Bend.

Almost two years have gone by since she passed away and I feel her spirit every day.  As I sit here in our lovely little place in Manson, I can't forget all the fun times we spent here growing up at nearby Wapato Point.  Mom loved being here.  It is one of the main reasons we invested here, it is my "happy place".

During the holidays she always wanted to stay out of the way because she was so considerate.  She wanted to make sure everyone else was doing what they wanted to do.  We would try to include her in the gatherings at other places but she never wanted to go.  She just didn't feel it was her place.

Today, in her honor, we are going to go pick out a tree, decorate it, and celebrate our first Christmas in Manson.  It's very quiet here, but I feel her spirit loud and clear.

Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday Mom.