Mama me…

Was like a kid at Christmas…eager…excited…ridiculously giddy because someone was on their way…

This someone being those travelers of hers…taking a detour…adding several hours to the drive…just to say good-bye…

Got a pit in the stomach…tears in the eyes as that U-haul rounded the corner…and then…it was just like Christmas morning…

Chatted…laughed…ate breakfast…Lennie the grandcat making herself at home…and then…just like Christmas…it was over way too soon…

And one of us knew…this was just what she needed…the U-haul driver so grown up…in control…his passengers excited…in trusted hands…

And this is the gift they left behind…the gift of assurance…the gift of peace…the gift of relief…that daughter of mine is on her way…and everything is going to be just fine…
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And that husband of mine…agrees…

This neighborhood of mine…

Is just finishing up year two of the nightmare on construction street…putting in new sewer lines..torn up roads…no access to the driveway…

Dust…dirt…landscaping a mess…did the final touches several weeks ago…poured concrete…put in sidewalks…rebuilt the driveway…

And then…it rained…and what to our wondering eyes did we see…that neighbor and I…a river…a roaring river of rain…rushing down the hill…ignoring the new sewage drains…and washing right up into her yard…

Because something is off…ridiculously off…non engineer me can see it with the naked eye…the road doesn’t curve like the road should curve…

And so…back to square one…a little sequel to nightmare on construction street…have to break it up and do it over…because you know what they say…

If at first you don’t succeed…try try again…and let’s just hope this time…it’s a wrap…
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And that husband of mine…agrees…

This husband and I…

Had a conversation that went something like this…

Him - So why did the ladies come to town?
Me - They came to town to see me and have lunch.
Him - They must have come to town for some other reason than that. Surely they didn’t drive all this way just to have lunch with you.
Me - That’s exactly what they did.

And honestly…all teasing aside…this old gal never questioned it once…those friends of mine taking the afternoon to drive to New Town…

Just because…

Because we go way back…we have history…memories…stories…

Because we care about each other…our families…our kids…that school where we taught…

Because if there was an emergency…deep down inside we know we could reach out…and they would be there…

Because that’s what friendship is all about…true friendship…lifelong friendship…thoughtful friendship that includes driving a long way…to say hello…catch up…and make an old gal smile…
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And those friends of mine…agree…

This old gal…

Had a wild hair…

Not one of those crazy fun ideas kind of wild hair…but an actual…wild hair…in the nostril…

Vision’s not the best these days…probably’d been there forever…but the light hit just right…and there it was…sticking out…like a broken tree branch…

Searched for the nose hair trimmer…fancy lighted thing…got it in a Christmas drawing once…but…couldn’t find it…

Looked everywhere…asked that husband of mine if he’d seen it…his reply…why do you have a nose hair trimmer…

To trim…uhhhhh…nose hair…

And so…the mystery remains…did it break…get thrown away…did forgetful me put it somewhere…she thought she’d remember…

And so it is…sometimes…there are no answers…to seemingly hairy questions…but it doesn’t need to stop you from finding a new way…to solve the problem…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…

This daughter and I…

Took a drive around Old Town…walked down memory lane one last time…

The cemetery…the little house on Elm Street…the school next door where teacher me taught for years…those Panthers good to her…let her into the fold…cared for her…made her feel loved…

That 70s split level Old Pink…our favorite five and dime…the other elementary school…more fond memories…dear friends…amazing students…

Drove the streets…the neighborhoods…that young photographer of mine snapping her most favorite view in the whole wide world…rolling hills of green as far as the eye can see…

Ran out of time…wanted to hit up the grocery store…drive by where little me grew up…but that we can do…next time…

Because one last time doesn’t mean there won’t be a next time…don’t know when…don’t know why…but the four of us will be there again some day…

Until then…mama me says thank you Old Town…for helping her raise those daughters of hers…she couldn’t have done it without you…
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And those daughters of mine…agree…

This old gal…

Felt like a kid again…gorging away at the Pizza Haus goodies…a comment was made about that bandana on her head and suddenly it was like elementary school show and tell…

Picked it up this year at Buc-ee’s…love the colors…love the fabric…but best of all…love the hidden secret message…

Nestled in the center of the square…can’t see it when rolled up in the hair…but this old gal knows it’s there…her mantra…giving her strength…

Kind of like Superman and those glasses…those times when you feel lacking…not thin enough…wrinkly…saggy…not trendy or classy…

Read that message…that secret message…Don’t Be A Lady…Be A Legend…and you know it’s ok to be you…just simple and plain old you…

Because…when the going gets tough and the tough get going…being you…and being a legend…is good enough…
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And this daughter of mine…agrees…

Mama me…

Was a softie when it came to those girls of hers…grand adventures to the park…the pool…the carousel in the shopping mall…

When it was time to leave little voices pleading one last time…the swing…the slide…knowing it would result in one MORE time…because that mother of theirs was somewhat of a pushover…

And so it was…that phrase…one last time…a specter on that drive to Old Town…meet at the Pizza Haus…celebrate the birthday girl…have a party with pizza and ice cream like we’ve done for so many years…

One…last…time…

And what a beautiful way to say good-bye to that daughter of mine before she moves so very far away…family…friends…the best pizza with pineapple in the whole wide world…

To say good-bye to old traditions…to the way it’s always been…a walk in the park…selfies by the sign…laughter…love…smiles and hugs…

A blessed mama can’t ask for anything more…than one last time…
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And that daughter of mine…agrees…

This husband of mine was worried…

Do you know that you talk to yourself and sometimes you even answer yourself…he said with feigned nonchalance…

His concern understandable…it happens with that thing called aging…we start to lose things…keys…waistline…energy…faculties…

Have to say monologue me was surprised by the question…of course she knew she talked to herself…of course she knew she answered herself…doesn’t everyone…

Apparently not…and come to think of it…have never seen that man of mine carry on a one man conversation…

But for this old gal…life is her stage…she the main character…and once in a while the only one in the scene…

And so it is in life…you are the writer…director…star of your story…tell it however you want…and just remember every now and then…it’s ok…to steal the show…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…

This old gal…

Gets a hankering now and then…this time in the Jimmy Dean sausage aisle…love that stuff…namely the hot and spicy…and every now and then have to indulge…

Eat it on pizza…Chef Boyardee pizza…Chef Boyardee pizza with tiny dollops of Velveeta…it’s the bomb diggity…

Bought the ingredients…threw in a package of corn for later…started the pizza prep…the eyes drawn to that corn on the cob…

A conversation going something like this…

Me…can I serve corn on the cob with pizza?
Also me…I don’t know…it’s kind of weird…
Me…they always served corn with pizza in school in the 1970s…
Also me…well if THEY can do it…YOU can do it…

And so we did…had corn on the cob with pizza…and it was divine…

And so it is in life…give yourself permission to mix it up…bend the rules…try something new…life’s too short to be boring…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…

This daughter of mine…

Was a Flying Pig…wore a pig stole…a pig hat…hung around with other Flying Pigs…it was a big deal…quite an honor…

And for once…was not in the shadow of those sisters of hers…she danced…so did they…she twirled…so did they…won pageants…sang solos…played soccer…but…so did they…

The baby…the youngest…always in the shadow…taking a back seat…Thing 2…never Thing 1…the N in fun…never…the FU…

But that daughter of mine…never felt that way…the FU way about those sisters of hers…she their biggest cheerleader…she…their biggest fan…

And she…a Flying Pig…the only Flying Pig in the family…First Lego League Robotics…offered to a select few middle schoolers…

And so today…we celebrate our Flying Pig…her accomplishments…the amazing young woman she’s grown to be…

Happy Happy Birthday…oh daughter of mine…you may be third in line…but you will always be Number 1…in this mama’s heart…

Spread those wings and fly…can’t wait to see…where life takes you…
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And those sisters of yours…agree…