birthday week

ever notice how fast the years start going as soon as you get over that hill? I certainly have, and this is kind of a nostalgic week for me. My mom's birthday and my dad's, as well as my own "somethingth" have all occurred, and I realize how much I miss them. Mom has been gone for 10 years and Dad has been gone for 13, and there are days when I would like to speak to both of them. Sometimes I think about calling Mom up to ask her advice, or for one of her recipes, and whenever I think of making comfort food I think of her kitchen, or of her sewing room. I think of my dad when I look at the bookcase that is in my bedroom filled with "church" books. I wish that I had spent more time with them than I did. I wish that my three children had known them better. I appreciate their sacrifices for their seven children as I reflect on my childhood, and I admire them for the lives they lived.

The older I get (and I speak this as the youngest of the seven) the more I realize how great my life has been because of the heritage I received from my parents. I hope that I can be remembered as well-loved as my Mom.