A promise long overdue...

More than a year ago, I was inspired to finally recognize and thank one of the two most important people to my life, my dad. (if you're not familiar with the back trails of my twisted meanderings, you can find that post here http://ponderingses.blogspot.com/2005/08/longest-day-ever.html). At the time, I fully intended to very shortly make a similar tribute to the OTHER most important person to my life, my mom. Those of you who've been with us since the beginning will know that that intention was never carried out, never reached fruition.

Now it just so happens that I came across this entry again a few days ago, and gave some serious thought to why exactlyI hadn't follwed through. It wasn't that there was a lack of instances where my mother supported me in a way that was remarkable. I'd love to say that the problem was that there were TOO MANY such instances, and I just couldn't think of one to focus on, and that would be true, as far as it goes. But the truth of the matter is that my tribute to Dad was simply a spur of the moment thing, something I thought of while I was typing, tired out of my mind, and trying to get out a coherent post that meant something. I hadn't put any thought into it (the post, not the sentiment), and so it came out with a kind of heartfelt sincerity that I found hard to duplicate. A lot of the time, the undertone in my rambling writings is one of "Hey, look at me, I know big words!!" rather than one that can be taken seriously. And for the next few weeks, whenever I tried to come up with a suitable tribute, I always felt it rang somehow hollow. At least, that's what I think I remember, it WAS a year and a half ago.

But at last, here it is. A suitable tribute to a woman who sacrificed more happiness, and worked longer hours, and suffered too many heartbreaks to never hear(or at least read) from her only son that he FINALLY understands, and is totally appreciative of all the things she did for him, all the times she stood between him and danger like a mother wolf, all those meals she slaved away over just to hear him complain that he didn't like tomatoes, and so she was forced to make him sit in the kitchen, loudly complaining that he wouldn't do it, just so he'd eat the food she'd so lovingly prepared.

Mom? I love you. Never for a moment doubt it. I can't wait to move back home where you can nag and pester me about anything you like, in person, and I wouldn't trade that for all the gold in all the kingdoms in all the world. You are the single greatest embodiment of the spirit of love I have ever known, and I KNOW, despite the jokes (you make, not me) that you'll be around to keep me on my toes for the next 40 years, if I have to drag you kicking and screaming with me.

Never change.

Brian

P.S. It would figure that the night I finally get around to writing this, my internet connection goes right down the tubes ('cause that's what the internet's made of, don't you know), and I have to wait to post this until I have a durned internet connection again. I think it's the cold. I'm really starting to get sick of this Edmonton weather, I think. My feet haven't been warm in a week 8( I'm finishing this at 2:26 in the morning, on Monday, March 19, 2007, I guess we'll see when it gets posted...