Happy 80th Birthday Mom

It's Saturday night, and I'm watching "Pride and Prejudice" on Oxygen. It's the Kiera Knightly version, which is not nearly as steamy as the A&E version (I'm sure mom will agree). Because Jane Austen is one of her many passions, even the mention of "Pride and Prejudice" reminds me of mom. In these moments, my thoughts are sweetly drawn to the woman who first looked into my eyes and loved me.

Mom and I don't talk on the phone all the time, but occasionally we have late night chats where we are deeply wise. We solve problems and always "express ourselves extremely well" (to quote from P & P). And mom is a great listener--it's one of her many gifts.

Just the other night, mom reminisced about the "year she was perfect." On her 49th birthday, mom set a goal to be perfect by the time she was 50--that year is still remembered as an important episode in Brady family folklore. Mom laughed a bit about what she learned from the experiment--that perfection isn't possible and too much of it only drives you (and those around you) crazy. The truth is, Mom only ever had to do one thing to be perfect--just love us the way she always has. Thanks mom for listening and loving and making all of us feel like we're your favorite.