Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my Mother's 64th birthday. She doesn't seem that old to me, but I know that before I know it she will begin to look her age. My Dad will be 65 on June 26th. He already is starting to look old. Since he has had 2 heart attacks, 1 mild stroke, broken a hip & just recently narrowly escaped death...it's no wonder he is beginning to look old. He is still very young at heart though.

Back to my Mother. I LOVE her to pieces & I look just like her. So much so that she could not deny me being her daughter if she wanted to. Unfortunately, I also inherited her obesity problem. It's not just in the genes either. I grew up watching her do the typical Mom things, eating while standing up & cooking dinner for the rest of us. She would grab fast food or order pizza becuase she was tired, or busy. She was a Stay At Home Mom that also worked in the home. She used to babysit at our house, often 6 days per week & over night. She ran an alteration business & handled many alterations from the local dry cleaners as well. For awhile she sold t-shirts. All of this was in additon to her regular household duties, driving her four children to band and orchestra pratice, dance lessons, bicycle races, Boy Scout meetings or Brownie Scout meetings. At one time I remember her being a Cub Scout Den Mother, a Brownie Scout Troop Leader & A Weblow Den Leader! Both of my parents were also active in Round Circle with the BSA. Until recently, I think Mom still had copies of Pack-O-Fun magazine in storage in Illinois. In the later years she served as one of the two adult leaders of the SHS Pep club. All four of us kids did our fair share of walking to &/or from these things but in the dead of a Northern Illinois winter, walking wasn't often an option. It was also a yearly thing that she would make most of the costumes for my sister & I's dances & usually at all of the costumes for at least one of the "honor dance class". By that I mean the top dance students were in the opening & closing numbers of the yearly recitals. Mom usually made the costumes for that class that would usually consist of around 25 girls. She did this from my 3 rd Grade school year until I switched dance studios my Sophmore year in high school. That year I was also in the opening number class...for which I had a spotlight dance with the lone guy in the studio. She made that costume as well.

Anyway, the point of this LONG story is that not only genitics caused her weight problem, but I belive that putting her family first & not taking time to care for herself was a big factor in her weight today. I love her, but I don't think I would live to see 64 years if I didn't tackle & conquer my weight problem right now. Not only did I inherit her predispostion for obesity. I also learned from her how to be a kind & compasionate human being with strong character & an independent spirit.

Thanks Mom & happy birthday.

I love you.