Are there people in your life who don't realize how important they are? My mom, Peggy, is definitely one of those people. She pours out all her love and energy for everyone around her, but credits herself for nothing.
Last Friday (Jan. 16) was my mom's 50th birthday. I wanted to give her something to tell her just how special she is, so I decided to call up 50 of her closest friends and family members, ask them to share their thoughts about her and compile the comments into a book.
I quickly realized I was not embarking on a quick, telemarketer-style survey. After three straight days of phone conversations, along with editing some e-mailed essays (I said 50 words, people!), I felt more inspired than I've felt from any other journalistic interview.
According to my sources, my mom is “authentic, compassionate, intelligent, upbeat, humble, strong, generous, loving, and warm. She's a surrogate mom, a “Dear Abby,” a kitchen-table conversation and an inspiration to live by faith. She knows how to make people laugh, make dogs smile and bake the best cheesy potatoes. Basically, she's one in a million, and I can only hope to someday be half as good a person as she is.
Here are some of the highlights from my interviews:
"By making me feel part of her home and making me feel comfortable, this strengthens my relationship with her family, since I am able to act like my goofy self. I never in the past would have imagined being able to jump on my girlfriends mom's bed after coming home from the bar with Natalie, at 2 in the morning." - Art
“I love her warmth and her openness. She talks to everybody and just has this open way that I admire so much about her. She’s very easy to talk to. I just always want to hug her!” - Marilyn
“When I think of Peggy, I think of her courage and the fact that anything life brings to her, she’s faithful and determined to make the best of any circumstance." -Sandy
"I love her ability to blend in with my friends and just be silly along with us. plus i love how responsible and level headed, yet goofy and easily teasable she is (like how easy it is to make fun of her)." - Neil
“She’s my hero! Whenever we’ve gone into a room, everybody knows her and everybody loves her. I remember the time she whipped up, like, 500 chocolate-covered pretzels for every kid in the school and acted like it was nothing." - Dotty
"I wouldn't know that such a combination of warmth, love, and strength was possible in one human if I hadn't known Peggy." - Irena
"Peggy has the purest heart of anyone I have ever known. To me, she is the epitome of 1 Corinthians 13:4 which teaches us what love is." - Cheryl
I love you so much, Mommy. Happy birthday!
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