Monday, March 9, 2020

Here's To You: A 70th Birthday Toast and Poem for My Mother

* This is a draft of a poem I'm working on to give to my mom on her 70th birthday. 

P.S. If you do know my mom, shhh! This is going to be a surprise. 

Here's to Valentine's Day cross-stitched patterns,
embroidered vests and
stenciled Christmas ornaments

that you created and then 
gifted to your family and friends.

Here's to the sound effects
you create to replace
words because 
your feelings aren't precisely captured
by the current English language.

Here's to the traditions you 
created for our family
like wearing matching Xmas jammies 
before it was cool and
gifting each of us
the perfect children's book
on Christmas Eve.

Here's to your dancing,
which sometimes looks more
like parading
in dramatic fashion
across the living room floor
to take a shower.

Here's to nursery rhymes
sung with your unique lyric changes.
Teaching your grandsons a
new and improved
GMo versions.

Here's to birthdays 
celebrated
with feeling.
To making all of us
feel extra special on the 
anniversary of our birth.

Here's to the snail mail
you sent across oceans
to make my heart physically
feel your love
when I read your note.

Here's to you 
being a caretaker
of Gram, and
GUE and GAD.
Taking time to cherish,
and honor 
and love them
deeply.

Here's to you being
strong,
tall,
and funny.

Here's to 70.
Here's to many more.
Here's to you mom.
Happy Birthday, Mom!

9 comments:

  1. I sure hope she does not read your blog! This is a LOVELY piece with the tone of a grateful, thankful daughter! Your mom sounds like a lot of fun - GMO modified nursery rhymes? Now that is a post!

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    1. Thanks. My mom is a lot of fun. Grateful I don't just love her, I like her as well. And that GMO, her nickname is G-Mo for Grandma Maureen. Luckily she hasn't modified nursery rhymes too much! ;)

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  2. This is a lovely gift for your mom. The specificity is endearing and I bet she loves revisiting the memories. I remember the cross-stitch fad of the 1980s and making Christmas ornaments and baby blankets for family and friends.

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    1. Thanks Glenda. You've got the fad of the 80s down although it seems, like everything, to be coming back. All those lovely items now bring me so much more joy and appreciation than when I originally saw them when I was younger.

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  3. This is the most lovely gift to give to your mom. She’s going to love it!

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  4. Gifts like this are priceless. From what you told me about your mom, I feel like I could meet her tomorrow and feel like I would want to give her a big hug! I love the stanza about the dancing on the way to the shower-how fun would it be to see it portrayed in a movie!?

    Beautiful scripted.

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    1. Thanks, I think she'd hug you back if you met. She always moves in silly ways around the house and you're right, that would make great additions to a character in a movie or sit-com!

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  5. So personal... the best gift.
    I know she will cherish this.
    I love how you chose to share the little behaviors that make your mom unique and special

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