Thanks Mom

To the woman who put college on hold for 30 years because of me, who ate the infamous cheesecake with a smile, who cut bubble gum out of my hair after I made a crown, who didn't get too mad about the pink slip I got for fighting the little girl who called me a boy after getting that haircut, who made me perfect toast when I was sick, who protected me when my dad tried to make me taste his sardine and mustard sandwich, who let me stay up very very late to read in bed, who didn't get mad when I cut my bangs 1/2 inch long when was 11, who took me out to a movie on the night of my Senior Prom so I wouldn't feel bad about not getting asked, who took me out to breakfast while my dad and brothers fried chicken livers in the morning, who forced me to waltz with her in the living room to get me out of a bad mood, who played barbies with me even though I now realize it was torturous, who told my dad it was ok to make a mud pit in the backyard for us to play in, who gave me 3 little brothers and a sister so I wouldn't be lonely, who made us stop at every "hysterical marker" on road trips so we wouldn't be uncultured hicks, who let us slide down the stairs in slippery sleeping bags for fun, who bottled cinnamon apples so we'd have something yummy when we had to eat our year's supply for a year, who taught me how to bait a hook, who let me ride my bike in my nightgown, who let us eat our dinner on the floor in the living room so we could watch Fraggle Rock, who would bribe us with a dollar if we answered a question right in scripture study in the morning just so we would pay attention, who picked out my husband for me, who came and helped me after each baby of my own, who treats my kids like her own, and who taught my oldest to bait a hook, Happy Mother's Day. I love you.