01/31/11 - Lori

Belated Birthday

Is is quite appropriate that I am posting this pic, taken on 1/31, a day late. Since we started this blog, I had planned my picture for January 30th. My mother would have been 62 on that date. I habitually forgot or did not celebrate my mother's birthday in the best way ~ terrible, I know. (but I usually knocked Mother's Day out of the park). Of course, I did not take this picture on her birthday! I took it the day after - completely not on purpose. Perhaps it was meant to be. Anyway, this is Mom (a piece of her at least) sitting on the windowsill at the top of my stairs where she now lives.

One year, I think it was her last birthday alive actually (1/30/08), I did not remember until the next day that it was her birthday. I lived in AZ at the time and was out shopping on the 31st while talking to her on the phone. She mentioned how the nurses at the nursing home had done something for her and I said, "OH SHIT!" .. you'd have to know our relationship but it was kind of ok. I think. Probably not. Let's just assume it was.

I was near a Hallmark store, so I found a belated birthday card and mailed it to her. When she received the card, she sincerely told me it was worth my missing her birthday because the card was so funny. It went something like this:

(on the outside)
I was going to apologize for forgetting your birthday when I realized, what if something happened to me? What if the reason I did not call you was because I was hurt, in an accident, or even in the hospital? Did you call me to find out what had happened to me?

(on the inside)
I've decided to forgive you for not calling me on your birthday.

When I picked up her things at the nursing home after she passed away, the card was there - she had hung it on the wall. I still have it somewhere with her things. So - Happy Belated Birthday, Mom -- I took the picture a day late and posted it a day later. I would not want to monkey with tradition.