Thursday, April 17, 2008

Mom's big day.

Tomorrow is my mom's 70th birthday. I can't believe she's going to be 70. She acts like she's 90 (bless her heart) but doesn't look 70.

We (brother and me) chipped in and got her an MP3 player for her to listen to at night when she can't sleep. Creative Labs makes a one with a speaker! Which is perfect because now I won't have to worry about her strangling herself. Silly old gal...she was going to sleep with headphones on! External speaker = problem solved. Having a ton of extra gadgets on her bedside table would've driven her mad. This one, all she has to do is push a little button and all the songs I'm loading on it will lull her to sleep and shuffle until she wakes up.

Do I dare tell her that I sneaked an album with subliminal "you are calm, peaceful and relaxed" type messages on it? Mama didn't raise no fool, people! I'll just pray that she calls me Saturday morning and says "I was SO relaxed listening to my music!" (Because that's what she'll call it. Her music.)

My mom was born and raised in eastern Kentucky. Mountains, coal mines, hollows (hollers, ya'll), family, family cemeteries, God. Tons of siblings (two of whom died when they were infants), extended family, home-grown, home-made and down home. Doing the right thing, an eye-for-an-eye, and family ties. Friendliness, neighborliness, community.

I love it there (!!!) and am so very glad that's where my mom came from. We had huge fights when I was younger...me being a born and raised Yankee and all, her being Southern and backwards (so I thought at the time. I was quite the little bitch.) and so much older than all my friends' moms. But now? My mom? My friend. A gem. The best.

2 comments:

Badger said...

Aw! Happy birthday to her! My mom and I get along much better as adults than we ever did when I was a kid, too. Funny how that happens!

Anonymous said...

That's so heartwarming to hear about your and badger's mother/daughter relationships. Wish I could say the same, but my daughter is just now coming back from an estranged period. I'm taking it a day at a time, grateful for any contact she makes. The loaded MP3 player idea was brilliant. I'm older than your mama and often feel 90. It happens.