Today would have been my Mom's 53rd birthday. It has been a day filled with joy and sorrow for several different reasons.
First of all, we got to celebrate my Aunt Chris' 50th birthday in such a fun way. Last night the Cline Family put on a fun cocktail party for friends and family. Today my Aunt Diane threw a 50th birthday "shower" in celebration of Chris...a tradition my Mom started a few years back so that the women in her family could be honored in a special way. It was quite a way to honor my Mom to have the birthday celebration for Chris on her would-be birthday. I think there's nothing more fitting to celebrate my Mom's life and birthday than to honor one of the many traditions in her legacy. Happy Birthday Aunt Chris! We love the woman you are and the example that you are to so many people.
Shadowing the blessings has been the sorrow that we all feel over the loss of our Mom. Today is our Mom's birthday, and it's the first time that we don't get to celebrate it with her. It is such an odd feeling not being able to call my Mom on her birthday and do something extra special for her. So, we're doing something extra special for her anyway! In honor of my Mom, my Aunt Diane gave my sisters and I beautiful flowers to plant in our yards. What a perfect gift. Mom loved her yard and loved planting flowers in March as a early indicator for spring. Anything she could do to say goodbye to winter, she was all over! Tonight we are going to Julie's for an extra special "birthday" party for her. Flowers have been brought to the grave, and an amazing dinner and dessert menu has been planned. I got some delicious looking filet mignon that I'm going to smother in bacon and seasonings. I'm also going to make some panko-breaded avacado fries (she loved avacado and I think would have loved these fries). Lisa's making yummy twice-baked potatoes. Beth bought Mom's favorite dessert...caramel chocolate cream pie from the Lynden Dutch Bakery and bread. Julie is hosting us in her beautiful home and will be supplying us with probably the freshest and yummiest green salad ever. She truly is a salad artist. My Dad and Jack have been all over flower detail (as I'm sure many others have been too) but I know Dad's been to the cemetery at least twice today and yesterday too.
We'll celebrate without her, but in honor of her. She deserves the best so we're giving our best to lift her up today. I'm right in the middle of reading "Heaven is for Real" and so I am trying to paint myself a mental picture about how her day has unfolded in Heaven. I just pray that she knows how much we love her and miss her, and that she can feel our earthly gifts in Heaven today. I miss my Mom so much. It hurts so bad. But...we have SOOOO much to celebrate today. Without her we wouldn't be the moms, wives, sisters, friends that we are. Happy Birthday Mom! I love you.
3 comments:
It really was a good day despite the lingering sadness. I am so thankful for the family we have and the love they give. Plus the steaks and dinner was amazing! Mom would have been so proud. Love you!
Love you! You are so right when you say that you wouldn't be the mom's, sister's, wives and friends that you are without her example.
Your celebration dinner sounds wonderful. Oh,,, but missing her hurts so much, doesn't it?! Your mom is proud of you girls.
She did such a great job raising you.
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