Happy Birthday Mommy

Today is my Mom's 75th Birthday

She doesn't look a day over 65

Here is my 6 word sum up of my Mom

"Always there to hug the hurt"

My Mom raised 11 children (well my Dad helped)

We all turned out pretty well

A little crazy (me mostly)

Can you imagine finding the ability in yourself to give enough love to each child?

To make each child feel as if they are the most important thing at that moment?

To have enough love inside of you and to spread it so deep that it still glows in your children who are now parents themselves?

To gain the respect of your children even when discipline was necessary?

To still have love in abundance left over to give your grandchildren?

My Mom watched both of my children for me while I worked.

I credit their manners, empathy, respect and happiness on this fact.

I could never have raised Amber alone without her.

You've seen that teen Mom show on MTV

Without my Mom's guidance that probably would have been me.

19 years old and no clue what to do with a baby.

But she helped me

and she still helps me

She encourages me to be who I am

But still has no problem telling me when I am wrong

Or reminding me that I am not always right

......which I am still pretty sure she is wrong about

Truthfully and without hesitation I can say that looking back on my childhood

I have not one single bad memory

Yes there were bad days

mistakes were made

feelings hurt

love tested

But that is life

I know its like the thing to do

blame your mother for your problems

which I find insulting as a mother

I am sure for some that may be true

but for us......its just not

My Mom is not perfect

I am sure if you asked her she could ramble off a list a mile long 

filled with mistakes she thinks she made

as a mother

a wife

a daughter

a sister

a grandmother

a human

Its the fact that she knows she is not perfect that makes her so wonderful

My Mom and I have grown to be friends 

She was not one of those moms who tried to be my friend as a teenager

but when I got older and realized she actually at one time 

before being Mom

was Jennie May Andreoli

I was shocked

Kidding........but realizing that your mother had a life before you graced her with your existence is unimaginable for a selfish spoiled kid like me.

Once I learned about Jennie I saw the real woman behind the Mom

I found out why my Dad loved her so much

He worshipped her......I kid you not

Never before has a man loved a woman like Bill loved Jennie

We have traveled together

We have talked about books

She tried to teach me how to sew

unsuccessfully

She taught my sisters and I how to make home made ravioli

which we traditionally eat 

 every christmas since I can remember

its a secret recipe so I can't tell you

 but mmmmmmm they are delicious

I have been known to maybe be too comfortable around my Mom

the foulest of all swear words has left my lips in her presence....more then once

for this I am sorry

So I just want to say 

Happy Birthday to the worlds greatest 

F.....abulous

F......antastic

F......earless

F.......aithful

F......u.....n

Mom

Mom, Me and Judy sharing a toast on our last night in Italy

Childhood Friends

I was thinking about a question I read somewhere

I don't remember the exact wording but it was something like :

What book represents or reminds you of your childhood.

So here is a question I pose to you....

What Book (or movie) most represents your interaction with your childhood friends?

My answer is The Body (aka Stand By Me) for my book choice or Then and Now for my movie choice.

Why The Body?
To me the body was more then about the boys going out in search of the body of a dead neighborhood kid. It was about exceptance and adventure. It was about finding friends you could count on and being able to just be yourself.

Growing up I had two great friends Kathleen and Karen. They are sisters Kathleen my age and Karen one year younger then us. Their grandmother lived two houses away from the house I grew up in. Which is how we met Kathleen and I just toddlers thrown together by our mothers probably so they could have a minute to themselves. We ended up attending the same Catholic elementary school and our friendship grew within those walls during the winter months when we only saw each other during those school hours.

I picked this book because it is set in the summer and when we were growing up....

 the summers belonged to us!

Everything about us changed in the summer. We had no school worries. No thoughts of not fitting in. Our parents barely existed in our summer world. We were the queens of the neighborhood.

Summer Life was an adventure to be had and it seemed to stretch on forever.

Back then all we had was our imagination and we made up games, invented danger, drama and ways to scare ourselves. Behind the house Kathleen and Karen shared with their mother and five brothers and sisters was a tall stone wall. It rose at least ten feet high but back then it was like looking up at a sky scarper. Their house sat low on a hill so the top of that wall on the other side was only waist high. To access the other side of the wall you had to go down an alley between two houses.

We were not supposed to go there.

We were not supposed to sit on the wall.

We definitely were not supposed to slip over the wall and climb down into their backyard.

But we did

And we always got caught...a ratting sibling...a big mouthed neighbor....

Like The Body our adventures involved camping out.

We lived in the city so we slept in sleeping bags on small patches of backyard grass or laid across wooden front porches. Also like The Body my older brother made it his goal to torment us as much as possible without getting caught by my mother.

We were inseparable. We were the keepers of each others deepest secrets and darkest fears.

 I never felt left out by not being their sister.

Our story doesn't involve the discovery of a dead body

Although we did think we killed my little brother once

We blamed Karen

Every summer we found ourselves. We were brave, smart and funny. Slowly we started to carry that confidence into the school year. And when we forgot we had each other to help us remember.

The Body ends with with the friends going their separate ways and sadly all but Gordy die young.

Our story ends happier

We all have families now and although we don't see each other very often we can still count on each other

 They were both there for me when my Dad died 14 years ago.

And I hope they felt my love and support when their Mom died last May.

My children know their names and have heard the stories of our adventures.

We are legends if only in my own mind!

So how about you?