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It's taken me almost two weeks to get this one off my fingers, not because of lack of want but just because of lack of time and time and ... well, time.

My mom turned 80 last week, and I hosted her birthday party at her house, which meant about 3 times as much work as if I'd hosted it at MY house, but she was afraid that none of her friends would be able to come if we did it here, and I have to admit that she's probably right, my living out in the middle of nowhere like I do. So I spent the better part of last week grocery shopping and driving back and forth and getting things set up and put together in an unfamiliar kitchen. But it went off well, and everyone came - which was the most important thing to me.

When it was all over, and everybody had gone home, she came in and said, "I think that went well, don't you?" I said, "Of course it did. It was your BIRTHDAY party!" And she said, "Well, I didn't know how it would be because I've never had a birthday party before ...."

Which I think is just SAD.

My mom grew up during the depression and then the second world war and there just wasn't extra money for frills like birthday parties for kids. And then she was married with kids of her own and there wasn't any money for frills like birthday parties for moms. And then her kids were grown and gone and there wasn't anybody around to host birthday parties for aging parents, and now she's 80 and somebody finally thought about it and got it together enough to throw her a birthday party.

The whole idea makes me just want to cry. To go 80 years and never experience a party in your honor, when she is one of the strongest, most determined, and other people focused women I know. If it's in her power to do, she will do it. If it's in her power to give, she will give it. If it's in her power to change, she will change it.

She's a breast cancer survivor and an open heart surgery survivor (she has a tumor removed and the procedure - first of its kind - is in the medical journals). She survived the death of a child. She took care of a mom with Alzheimer's and provided a hospice home for her father when he was in end stage cancer. She nursed my dad through end stage renal failure. She raised four children to productive adulthood.

But if it involves doing something for herself, nope, not gonna happen.

So I'm glad that I was FINALLY able to return, in just the smallest fraction of a measure, some of what she's given ME - my backbone, my independence, my determination, my work ethic, my just suck it up and get it done attitude. The person I am is because of the influence of my mom.

Happy birthday, Mom. I'm so glad that you're still here, still in good health, and still able to change the lives of those around you!


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This is my project for last week's Anything Goes Weekly Challenge for Women's History month ...
1. Photo of a woman you admire
2. Use a quote from a list of quotes by famous women
3. Use a word from a list of themes on the Women's History site.
4. Lift a layout from the Featured page of the SB.com Gallery

I did a scraplift of Gerry Gent's "Love Your Smile" which you can see here:
[gallery=6095169]

It really feels GOOD to be back at my scrap table for sure... I'm pretty far behind for the month of March, but I'm hoping to get ONE more project done before April rolls over.


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