Lou

Dear Mom,

You have loved me effortlessly, even though I have often made it difficult.  Every beetle is a gazelle in the eyes of its mother. ~Moorish Proverb *  Thank you. 

A mother is a person who, seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan  *  Even to this day, your children are your priority.  You are the most unselfish person I've ever known.  (Obviously, I take after my father.) 

That best academy, a mother's knee. ~James Russell Lowell  * Ah, so true.  You, mom, were my first teacher.  Every story shared, every adventure taken ...these were the start of a journey I continue even today. *  The mother's heart is the child's school-room. ~Henry Ward Beecher

This journey of mine is a bit like Harold and the Purple Crayon.  I reread the inscription in the copy you gave me some time ago.  It made me smile, and also a bit sad.  What I hope you will remember is this:  I cannot forget my mother. She is my bridge. When I needed to get across, she steadied herself long enough for me to run across safely. ~Renita Weem

And this:  Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children. ~William Makepeace Thackeray

As I begin this new phase of a journey of educational pursuits, it is because of your blessing that I am less afraid. *  If you have a mom, there is nowhere you are likely to go where a prayer has not already been. ~Robert Brault  * It was you who gave me, (like Harold and his imagination), the purple crayon with which to color my world. 

"And off he went, looking for a hill to climb, to see where he was."

My mom is a neverending song in my heart of comfort, happiness, and being. I may sometimes forget the words but I always remember the tune. ~Graycie Harmon

Happy Birthday, Mom.  I love you so.

Love,
Me.