My mom was divorced since I was too young to remember. She worked constantly to keep three children fed, as a teacher in the day and at a convenience store at night. We were latch-key kids before such a term existed but she created a life for us that let us know we couldn’t afford the trendy jeans but we never felt out-and-out poor, either.
My mom’s never been quick to smile; I guess she’s always been too worried about keeping a roof over our heads, but when you can get her to laugh she laughs hard until her eyes water.
My mom’s not much of a nurturer in the TV sitcom way you’d picture a mom to be. She loves us wholeheartedly but if we’re hurt or sad and she’s powerless to fix it she sounds almost stern. But she pays attention and just before my 10th birthday birthday she took me to a gift shop and we just wandered around looking at pretty things. I had no idea until the day of my birthday that she was watching me to see which things I loved most until she presented me with a diary complete with lock and key, a hand-painted sweatshirt with a satin heart, and stickers, all wrapped in beautifully colored paper. It was one of the best birthdays ever.
My mom’s seems much smaller every time I see her, and now I marvel that she could ever get me to do what she told me to. But at little more than five feet tall she has the famous stare that could bring her brawny football playing students to order.
My mom takes little for herself and says she requires little to be happy. She loves television shows about gardening and home improvement and sometimes says “I think I could do that”, though the thought of my mom with power tools is absolutely terrifying and comical all at once.
My mom’s the classic armchair traveler and has “visited” many countries without the need of a pesky passport or jet lag. She is a voracious reader and calls books some of her very best friends. She is often proud of me and worried about me in equal measure. She is one of my biggest and most vocal supporters.
My mom prefers to stay home instead of going out, prefers not to have too much attention drawn to her. And because of all this I want to do something terrific for her birthday; I also want to get her to come out of her comfort shell a little bit and want her to feel pampered and cared for. I want her to feel as special as she’s made me feel all these years. So I’ve booked us a day at a spa; it’s totally out of her element and she’s probably going to kill me. She’s also going to love it.
Thank you Mom, Happy Birthday.
Written by Evelyn Rand. Have a look at all the fab Spa Breaks out there.
