They say that you choose happiness every single day. Today - on the saddest of anniversaries - I'm choosing to look on the bright side. What a glorious feeling it must be to spend eternity dancing with Jesus!! I'd say that's the ultimate bright side! :)
Since there is no room for sadness today, I thought I would share some of my happiest memories of the woman I was lucky enough to call "Mom".
Mom was a picker. We could sit on the front porch step for hours with my head in her lap. All the while, she was picking at me like a monkey.
Mom loved life and all those in it. She never took crap from anyone - ANYONE! - and she taught her kids to do the same. She was all about treating people the way she wanted to be treated. She was the first one to defend her kids. She could tell us how the cow ate the cabbage all day long but she would go down fighting if someone else tried.
Mom was a fighter. She loved Sylvester Stallone's "Rocky" because she identified with him. (OK, and because he was a cutie!) The night she told our family about the cancer, she spent exactly 12 seconds being sad. Once that was done, she was ready to kick some ass! I will never forget what she told me after a radiation treatment. I asked her if she was scared when she heard the lasers start up. She said, "Absolutely not! Every time the laser starts, I say: Take that sucker!"
Mom was passionate. Growing up, there was no shortage of yelling in our house. In fact, Mom often encouraged it. :) She truly FELT life......good, bad or ugly. I really admire that. If there was ever someone that lived in the moment, it was my mother.
Mom was a stunner. She had that classic beauty that was completely effortless. I remember hours upon hours of shopping with her. I loved every second of it. To this day, my eye is drawn to the type of dress she wore or the high heels that she loved so much. (She taught me that a girl could never have too many shoes.) When people would remark about how much we looked alike, I was always incredibly complimented. I wanted to look like her.......hell, I wanted to be her! :)
Mom was hilarious. She would spit out phrases that could cut you down to size while laughing at the same time. Some of my favorites: You don't have the sense God gave an onion. I'm about to show you next week's stars! I've seen cockroaches prettier than you. (Thankfully she never told one of her kids that.) I'm going to crown you and it won't be queen for a day! Honey, you know I love you more than my shoes.
Mom loved Jesus. She read the Bible from cover to cover. That same Bible is full of colored, highlighted verses she felt a connection to. She was always happy to tell you about God's goodness. She had a unique interpretation of the gospel. She always had a knack of putting it into "real life" terms. She was quick to tell you "the Bible says....." when you asked a question. I treasure those life lessons most of all. A few weeks before she left us, she was happily chatting to everyone in the hospital room about how ready she was to meet her maker. You could often hear her say things like "you can't be sad after I'm gone because I get to be with Jesus!".
Mom......it's with a happy heart that I am releasing balloons to celebrate your anniversary in Heaven!! I hope you're having the time of your life!!! :)
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