My Mother's Birthday

Today is my late mother's birthday. She was born on this day in 1908, so she would be 97 years old today had she lived. But she died when she was only 79. It's hard to believe she has been gone for 18 years.

When I think about my mother, I think of a woman who was devoted to her kids, but not in the way one often thinks of devoted mothers who believe their children can do no wrong. She did not look past her children's faults; instead, she worked to correct them.

My mother was an English teacher and she was very proud of her work. But she finally gave it up because the school systems changed to the extent that she found the job bureaucratic, unreasonably demanding, and unfulfilling.

She was a very good writer. One of the first things I saw that she wrote was a short story she did for a college course. It was an autobiographical allegory of self-worth that dealt with her perceptions of herself vis-à-vis her siblings. She felt that she paled in comparison to them. She did not...she was a fine woman who had so many talents, a wonderful sense of humor, and such a sense of pride in her children. She had plenty of faults, but her genuine goodness outweighed them.

I credit my mother, in large part, for my interest in the English language and literature, for my adventurous nature about foods, and for my willingness to question authority.

She felt so strongly about the importance of reading that she took on one of my teachers in sixth grade. I was reading Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck and was sharing something from the book with a classmate; I remember being intrigued by some dialogue that included a reference to "Sicillian bastards!" which I no doubt found delightfully wicked as a 12-year-old. My sixth grade teacher didn't share my admiration for the phrase and took the book away from me and told me never to bring such nasty stuff to school again. That evening, I told my mother about the incident and she became livid. I recall hearing her call my teacher at home to explain that she didn't care what I read, just so long as I read; she told the teacher to never take a book from me and to call her if she ever had concerns about what I was reading.

There are so many conversations I never had with my mother; I wish I could turn back time so I could ask her the hundreds of questions I've wanted to ask her since her death. Today, I'll just say "Happy Birthday, Mom," knowing she can't hear me, but also knowing that she's still influencing me now, deep into my geezerhood.

An Important Unrelated Update
I just got word that House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has been indicated by a Travis County (Texas) Grand Jury on one count of criminal conspiracy. The indictment accused DeLay of a conspiracy to "knowingly make a political contribution" in violation of Texas law outlawing corporate contributions. It alleged that DeLay's Texans for a Republican Majority political action committee accepted $155,000 from companies, including Sears Roebuck, and placed the money in an account.

I truly hope he's guilty and that he is found guilty by a jury. If he's not guilty, then he should be exonerated...but he should still be dipped in boiling oil, just because he is one of the most obnoxious, arrogant, bastards I have every had the displeasure of hearing utter a word.