Mothers Day 2008

This is pretty much the letter I sent my Mom for Mothers Day this year....I took out certain names just so they aren't out on the internet. Anyway, here goes:

while Hallmark does a fantastic job at tugging at emotion, there isn’t one card out there in the racks of Walgreen’s, Wal-Mart or Target that can truly convey how great, wonderful, fabulous, and face it, wicked awesome you truly are. Not just as a Mom, but as a lady, too.

I could rant and rave like a lunatic about Moms and Dads and all of that other stuff, but this is a small note of praise. Thanks just wouldn’t cut it. So Mom, here’s to you, the sturdiest family glue I’ve ever known. You are the Platinum Standard to which all other Moms ought to be judged against. I know Dad, my brother and I weren’t always the best to you, but please know that every once in awhile we all talk, usually when you are getting ready, and give each other a nod. Not just the, ‘yup, we’re running behind’ nod, but how we all know how truly great you are.

I watch a ton of sports, read even more about it, and now write about it. I’m putting together a list of my favorite ‘That Guy’, the person on the team that does things no one knows about, brags about or really talk about out. If our family was a sports team, you’d be a ‘That Guy’. Only the true fans know what they are all about, what they mean to the unit. But today, I’m bragging about my Mom, the real Captain of this family. So I can only hope that today, you can grin with a smile of satisfaction, knowing you did a great job in raising two boys and keeping all of our noses clean, our boo-boos kissed, our tummies full, our hair combed (well, not me anymore, but I digress), our clothes clean, and most importantly, the knowledge that we are loved and cared for, and especially thought of.

I'm told that The Greeks don’t do eulogies, they only ask after a person dies, “Did they live with passion?” Well, maybe you didn’t yell and scream like the other three goofballs in this family, but I can’t imagine that it could have worked out any better. So I’d say you have the kind of passion that is to be envied, that quiet simmer. Passion doesn’t always have to be out there for all to see, I knew it was there for a long time. And again, saying ‘thanks’ wouldn’t be doing it justice.

I’m not really sure how the measure of a man is supposed to be calculated, but I can say this-if a measure of a Mom is the effect it has on his relationships with other women in his life, I’d like to think that you can grin a little bit bigger now. My brother has a wonderful woman in his life that has many of your same qualities. I’d say that was high praise. As for me, I know I make jokes about my dating life, but you should really know that deep down, after about 2 dates, I’m always asking myself: “Yeah, but could I bring her home to meet my Mom?” That’s called the ‘Mom Test’, in case you were ever curious.

So Mom, I would really like to say THANKS, for all of your love. The cookies, the cards, the Easter Bunny care packages, my numerous house-blankets, the listening to my ranting, and for making me feel like even when times aren’t great, my Mom can somehow manage to hug me from a couple thousand miles away (I googled directions!).

Happy Mothers Day!!!

And there you have it. Remember to call your Mom and say thanks, at the very least.