my mom by any other name...

... well just isn't my mom! 

This is my mom...as I envision her when I close my eyes and conjure up the image.

Life is funny and we all have crosses to carry and battles to fight... let's just say my mom's has been heavier and harder. I will not tell her story. It is hers, but I will say that she's come through battle scars and all, a more beautiful person than words would give credence.

My mom is hilarious... I talk to her multiple times a day... one of us will think of something funny that happened to tell the other. I call her every morning before nine to check in and I call her every night to check out. Many days we talk a number of times in between. My mother is the most beautiful, strong, resilient, caring, giving person I know.

When I am in the hospital she comes every other day with flavor blasted gold fish, an orange plant or flower (orange is my favorite color) and we play Rummy. She lets me keep drug induces inaccurate score (well until this last time when I won by 400 points.) 

She listens as I cry, and doesn't try to fix it. She lets me be me. She listens as I laugh and she laughs with me. She loves Nitza like she is her own daughter and treats Alejandro like the little royalty he is. She is amazing.

Ale is teach my mother how to play Angry Birds.

She loves my sisters and brother, brother-in-law and her glory and pride "baby Oscar" (her grandson) with the abundance of her heart. 

"Baby Oscar" and his "Gamma"

We don't get to choose our family, but every day I thank the God who holds me that this is who I got for a mother.  She is spectacular and I want to thank her (obviously very publicly) for her generosity, time, heart, tears, laughter, wisdom, persistence and unabashed love.

I LOVE YOU MOM!

Thank you for all you do and who you are.