My mother is my rock. My mother is my cornerstone.

           Cornerstone: something that is essential, indispensable, or basic; the chief foundation on which something is constructed or developed.

Happy Birthday, Mommy.

            This January my mother and I took our first trip alone together since 1999.  I didn’t realize how much I’d missed her until it was just us.  After arriving in Phoenix, Arizona and renting a car, we made the two-hour trek to a destination spa in Sedona.  During the car ride, I plugged in my iPod and played Taylor Swift’s Never Grow Up for her.  I cried like a baby because it was the first time I’d really ever left my boys.  I think she cried because she was alone with her only child for the first time in 12 years.  And during that ride, as I watched the tall cactuses creep by, I thought about our history.  Our life together.  And I’ve never been more grateful.

My Mom and I have always been a pair.  Bravely, when I was very small, she removed me from a less than stellar situation and struck out to raise me in a more positive light all on her own.  She ran her own business full time and still managed to pick me up from school every day.   She tucked me in every night and always assured me when it wasn’t her weekend that she would be waiting for me when I returned.  She was my best friend.  My confidante.  My rock.  She made me who I am today.

Spending those days in Arizona with her was a wake-up call.  A reminder of what we were and should be again.  Sure, I’m married now and have two boys of my own, but what we have is different.  We are mother and daughter.  Pieces of each other than can never be shattered.  And sometimes it’s hard to remember you are someone’s daughter when you are a mother yourself.

In the four days I spent with my mom at Mii Amo, we shared a room, slept in parallel queen size beds, and almost couldn’t get to sleep at night because we cracked each other up so much.  I’m pretty sure we both snarfed at least once.  We shared three delicious meals a day, some in our PJs while sitting in bed.  We even shared a tarot card reading.  And at night, we sat in front of a roaring fireplace and discussed our lives in peace.  It was truly one of the most magical experiences of my life.  I wish I could do it every year.  I want to do it every day.

Mom, today is your birthday.  I won’t give away your age, but I will say that the absolute best years of my life began when I had Teague and Crews and got to share them with you.  I hope that the last 32 years, 11 months, and 8 days have been the best of yours.  Can you believe I’ll be 33 in less than 3 weeks?!

I can’t hug you today because you are across the country celebrating.  But please know that with every blink, each move, all breaths, you are part of me and I love you.  Thank you for being the mother I hope to be and the most giving individual I know.  Your birth is definitely an event to celebrate.