Erin Go Bragh!
"Ireland Until Eternity
A hundred thousand welcomes to you!
These things were all handed down to me. Well, not the shamrocks. I have 16 of these sweet embroidered napkins but with most of the kids gone, we'll only be using 4 of them tonight. This will be the smallest St Patrick's Day celebration we've ever had. But, a celebration none the less!
In honor of St Paddy's day, I want to share with you, something that I got for my birthday last month. Birthday's are a cause for celebration but when you're older than dirt, and especially it seems for me, on birthdays that end in 5 or begin a new decade, I feel the need to take inventory of my life. Then I get all morose and worried and introspective. Well, and take my word for it, that is just annoying for everyone.
Then the most amazing little thing can happen that changes the course of the day and turns it back into a celebration again. Something to remind you of the precious life you've been given, the things you love. The following was a gift from my eldest son, to me, for my birthday. There hasn't been a day since he wrote it that I haven't read it. And it brings happy tears of love to my eyes every time.
We started a tradition in our family when it was young. It's called, "I love you more than". When we say how much we love each other, we say, I love you more than...and then we say things like, "I love you more than all the Shamrock's in Ireland," or some such endearment.
Today and every day is a day to be happy to be alive no matter who you are, where you are, or what your situation. Just because you are. Because of that, and because we're celebrating the Irish today, I leave you with one of the greatest blessings I have in my life. A love note from my son to me for my birthday. Children certainly are, a heritage of the Lord!
I simply can't imagine a world without you. So today as you complete your 55th trip around the sun, I give you 55 reasons I love you, mom...
1 Your penchant for cozy socks
2 Your sense of humor
3 You passed down to me your germaphobic habits
4 How very religious and prayerful you are
5 Your love for dogs
6 The sound of your voice
7 Your humility
8 You drink tea everyday out of the tea cup I got you, a reminder to me that I am with you even when I'm not
9 Your kind heart
10 Your generosity
11 How cute you look when you laugh hysterically
12 How serious you are about bloging
13 How hard you work at keeping your promises
14 The way I miss you when we're not together
15 How lucky you make me feel each day for having someone like you in my life
16 When Dylan used to bite us, you would encourage us to bite him back. If we were crying too hard, you would do it for us
17 The smell of your perfume
18 Your handwriting
19 How we get See's every time we go to the mall together
20 You knit me scarves
21 Your smile
22 You blogstalk
23 You gave me a brother and sisters
24 You were recycling long before it was cool
25 You are very forgiving, and we've given you a lot to forgive along the way
26 You don't consider it cake unless it is chocolate
27 You bring me Sprite and toast cut into strips when I'm sick
28 You listen to good music
29 You kissed James Taylor
30 You have pretty hair
31 You cry during romantic comedies
32 I love watching movies with you, even though you talk the whole time
33 Your freckles
34 You are an amazing writer
35 You're strong, in many ways
36 You have traveled all over
37 I inherited your artistic abilities, a talent of mine I value above all else
38 We are more alike than I sometimes care to admit
39 You taught me well
40 You let me make my own decisions
41 Your hands are always cold
42 Your heart is always warm
43 You love yoga, I love yoga
44 You spoil me
45 When I was little you always let me borrow your beloved silky blanket
46 My favorite birthday present I ever got was the letter you wrote me when I turned 19. I cried when I read it
47 You let me keep Bailey
48 You like Soulja Boi
49 You married your best friend
50 You make me laugh
51 You survived my teen years
52 You are convinced that all of your grandchildren are gifted and talented. Really, they are
53 You always told us our birth stories on our birthdays growing up, even if we didn't always want to hear them
54 You make lists
55 Dessert doesn't always have to come last in our house
I love you more than all the days we've been together,
Cooper
My son Cooper, because you took all the love I gave you and gave it back to me in one simple note on my birthday, and therefore made me feel like a bizillion bucks.
I love you more than all the love there is in the world...
To the rest of you a St Patrick's Day Blessing-
"May your home always be too small to hold all your friends!"
Blessings,
Tia
