Thanks, Mom!

Today's my mom's birthday--she turned 28. Yes, she really did!

She and I have had a running joke for years now about stopping the birthday candle count at 29, but this year was different. I chose 28 this time because all one must do is transpose the numbers and you get the true number of candles on her cake. And, she deserves every single one of them.

Mom's call in the planet had to be taking care of kids. She had 8 of her own, added a Foster daughter back in 1980. She was also a high school teacher for a good 20-years, which means she can call a couple of other thousand people her "kids". And, that's no joke. She'll be at the store, at a restaurant--heck, even in a distant airport--and she'll invariably hear, "Hey, Mrs. Erickson, how 'ya doing? Remember me from class?" I've seen it happen. She genuinely cares about kids, loves kids, was meant to mentor kids. Including her own.

I posted a thread on my Facebook page today about her birthday, and I meant every single word of it. After rearing all of her children, teaching thousands of others--many of whom remember her 2-3 decades later--tithing faithfully, putting some of us through college, and still retiring comfortably--if that's not good enough for a spot in heaven, then none of us have a chance. If it came down to me or her getting a pass to eternal bliss, I'd give up my spot without a thought--she certainly deserves it more than me.

I figure that's what God meant by the 5th-commandment, "Honor thy father and mother.. ". I know her mom was her best friend once she made it to adult-hood, and to this day my mom is one of my best friends. But you know, I still won't cross her, because the little boy inside of me still has some fear of her (not physical fear, mind you--just the healthy fear that a child has of his parent). Mom was there, was present, and was--and is--the pillar of unconditional love.

Thanks mom, and once again, Happy Birthday.

Now, blow out all 28-of those candles in one breath!