I will stop short of calling you the “best” mother. It is the same mathematical thinking in me that makes me squirm when my friends call their husbands or wives the “best” husband or wife. A sample of one cannot lead to superlative adjectives.

But you were my mother. And to me, that is all that ever mattered.

As a mother, you were willing to support me (even though reluctantly) when I wanted to make decisions that the rest of the world would have pulled me back from. I am convinced you would visit me in a prison even if I had committed a heinous crime.

You were my cheerleader even when you did not need to be. Especially when not being so would have saved me a lot of embarrassment.

You adapted to me more than I ever adapted to you.

While I miss not being able to talk to you every day or see you every 90 days, it is only after your departure that I have truly understood what a few things mean. Cracking the top of the list is the concept of “unconditional love”.

Unconditional love is what mothers are all about. And that is the BEST thing about them.

To you in heaven and to every mother in heaven and on earth today, I raise a toast – thru the pain I live with – HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!

That is a picture of you and me … 55 years back!!