Happy Birthday, Mom!

The Daily News

1  Happy Birthday, Mom!

2  Ah, days gone by.

3  I found these pics off a great little photo album Gayle has kept for years.

4  How do I begin to say?

5  Perfect Mom. How's that sound?

6  This crept up on me like so many other things. 

7  If somebody wanted me to say what my fave memories are of Mom, I wouldn't be able to. They were small things. The little things, that with distance, become lovingly big. 

8  She gave us all lots of love and lots of freedom to enjoy things. She wanted us to get good grades, but she wanted us to enjoy life more. She would have tons of teenagers over all the time, so often that everybody called her "Maw" and Dad "Paw."

9  It was that sort of household. 

10  As a kid, I loved that she would enjoy cooking so much. She sometimes would begin cooking early in the morning, and the house would smell wonderful throughout the day. 

11  I don't think of her in anything but images. I can see our small back yard on Fir Avenue in South San Francisco, a street that mirrored all of those old black-and-white TV shows. 

12  I remember when we moved from South City, how odd and strange it was. We moved to 1136 Helen Drive, and how, at the time, I wanted to run away.

13  I was going into fifth grade, and had to start all over with friends and stuff. 

14  That didn't take too long. 

15  Millbrae was a wonderful small town, and became home. 

16  My best memories are from those days, and once again, fond images. 

17  In high school, I enjoyed life to the fullest. Our garage was one of the places all the cheerleaders, football players, pom-pom girls, and spirited Capuchino High School students would meet to make posters, set up rallies, and cheer at games. I was just a freshman, but my sister Linda brought all the "cool" people over for spirited times. And they were. That began in junior high, but really hit its tide when I arrived at Cap. All in the garage at 1136 Helen Drive. 

18  That home did that, and it had that. Mom and Dad made it what it was.

19  As I got slowly became more mature, I began going out with friends and enjoying being young, and full of a love for living. I didn't really have a curfew, although getting on much past midnight was sometimes a bit shaky.

20  Mom used to stay up late watching The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. My greatest memories were of coming home and talking with her, watching Carson, and laughing. We'd stay up into the one a.m. some nights, talking and laughing, and sharing.

21  Those moments were golden, and will always remain with me. 

22  I don't think I want to go THAT much more into it, because so much can't be put into words. I loved my Mom, and I still do.  It's that simple. 

23  It's sort of funny because after she passed, we were talking to the people at the church, and they asked my Dad what she would like written on Mom's flower display. Without blinking, he said, "I still do."

24  I KNOW. 

25  I didn't know which way to look on that one. Ever get so teared up that you don't really know which way to look?

26  Yeah, that. 

27  Anyway, I don't want to over-talk it all. It's like asking me to write about my entire life in one night. 

28  I just wanted to wish her a grand birthday, wherever she is, and I hope one day to see her sweet smile again.

29  Moving On, Part One: Well.

30  So much for that.

31  There's lots of stuff going on today. Busy, busy!

32  That's just two busies, I know but I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.

33  Welcome to Mixed-Metaphors 'R' Us. 

34  I'd make a backwards 'R' but I've no idea how.

35  It's unimportant. 

36  I'm not into going through the process. 

37  This works. 

38  Moving On, Part Two: It got quiet.

39  I still have half a bazillion things to do.

40  Meanwhile, I wouldn't hop out of here without wishing everybody a good day.

41  More to come.

42  Gottago.

43  See you again.

44  Happy Birthday, Mom!

46  Have a GREAT day, everybody.

47  Peace.

~H~

fin.