Toes Socks and Candles

***Today's post is dedicated to my mother Rebecca. She passed away 33 days ago and never got to see this day...her 64th birthday.***

On November 9th when my Mom's Earthly life ended and her Heavenly life began, it seems that a flood of questions entered my mind that I'd never given any thought to before. I knew that soon after November 9th the holidays would begin to rush in. First up was Thanksgiving, which came and went...without my mother's presence. Soon after Thanksgiving I knew that one of the most difficult "firsts" was right around the corner. December 12th...my mother's birthday...without my mother.

As often as I've wondered what she's doing in Heaven, who she's met, who she's reunited with...did it all happen the day she got there or do the "meet & greets" take place over the span of eternity...I've been so very curious about THIS day...the day of her BIRTH.

I've wondered...are birthdays celebrated in Heaven? Or is the day that you ENTER Heaven (in my Mom's case, that would be November 9th) the day that is celebrated? Or is there NO celebration at all? I just don't know. Sure wish I did though.

Anyway...my mother's birthday has always been an interesting one. Challenging is probably a better adjective.

With some folks, friends and family have a fairly good idea of what to get that individual as a gift. With my mother...not so much. She didn't really have a "favorite" anything.

No favorite color.
No favorite food (or at least I thought, until I read her Auto-obituary).
No favorite musical artist.
No favorite actor.
No favorite author.
No favorite fragrance.
No favorite song.
No favorite TV show.
Nothing.

Yet, even without a "favorite" anything...she always loved whatever I would get her. Perhaps that was just her being my Mom. But anything I got her, she cherished.

Over the past 10 years or so, I came to learn that there were 3 things she particularly liked...one of those three, she LOVED.

She liked scented candles.

She liked toe socks.

And she LOVED chihuahuas...especially her own. Agape, Lazarus and Sarah were her babies. Of the three, Agape was MY favorite. I cried like a baby when he died. He was the sweetest dog I'd ever known.

Sarah died a couple years ago, and she was truly my "Momma's girl". Sarah and my Mom were BFFs. When Sarah died, my Mom was crushed. Even in casual conversation if Sarah was mentioned my Mom's whole demeanor would change and I could actually SEE the sadness come over her. Eventually, I learned not to mention Sarah.

And then there was (and still is) Lazarus. My Mom called him her "Baby dog". Sweet sweet Lazarus. He now waits for my Mom to walk through the door again...not understanding that she never will.

So...as I said, my Mom loved her dogs, scented candles, and toe socks.

Although I couldn't get her a new dog each year for her birthday, I could (and DID) get her toe socks and candles. She never wanted or asked for anything, yet she was always so happy when I'd walk in with my simple little gifts. Yet what she enjoyed MOST OF ALL was the fact that I was THERE. Most days I wasn't able to stop by until after work. When I'd get to the house she was ALWAYS sleeping. My mother slept more than anyone I've ever known. But as soon as I'd get there, within minutes she'd be rounding the corner, find her spot in the living room, and would sit with me & the kids for as long as she could before she'd get tired again. I will always remember the words she would say as we'd get up to leave, "Thank y'all for coming over. I love ya, and I had a wonderful birthday". Even as I write these words I can still see her in the chair she sat in, and I can hear the words as if she's in my ear right now. Right now.

So...I may not have any idea about what her day was like today, when I said my morning prayer I asked God to give my Mom a special hug. I never ask Him to hug her FROM me, because honestly, I don't think she knows or remembers who I am. She won't know or remember me until I get to Heaven. At least that's what I believe. In my mind, knowing and remembering are forms of looking BACK here to Earth, and since Heaven is PURE joy, there's no way that anyone THERE would EVER want to look back HERE at all of the sadness, and evil that goes on in "the world". I don't really care to argue the point or convince me otherwise. In that regard I'm pretty set. And for that reason, I just ask God to give her a special hug. HE knows who it's from and for me, that's all that matters.

So there you have it. My Momma's birthday in a nutshell. Oh, and in case you were wondering...her favorite food was "grits and eggs".

As you can imagine, this has been a difficult day for me, and I sure could've used a hug or two...or three or four...

I miss my mother more than I ever imagined I would. And on THIS day, and EVERYDAY, I just want to see her face, hear her voice, and give her another hug. I miss my Mom greatly, and I look forward to the day when we are reunited...in Heaven, where we will NEVER have to say goodbye again...EVER.

To my Mom:
Thank you so much for giving me life and loving me!
Happy 64th Birthday!!
I LOVE YOU!!!


Let the DIALOGUE begin: What ARE (or WERE) YOUR Mom's 3 favorite things?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Gettin' Hungry?

This year for my birthday (which by the way was 13 days ago), one of the gifts that I received was a gift card to my FAVORITE restaurant, The Stinking Rose.

Today, I used the card and enjoyed a FABULOUS meal. I mean really, ANYTHING with GARLIC is destined to taste DEE-LISH!

GARLIC is most definitely one of my favorite things to eat, and I have seven more foods that rank pretty high up there too. So...you guessed it...I'm gonna list them here.

AVOCADO. Simply delicious. Sometimes I eat avocado by itself with just a little S&P. Othertimes, I have it in salad or with tacos, enchiladas, and let's not forget GUACAMOLE. YUM!!!

ARTICHOKE. I love it marinated and added to salads. Really love it as a warm dip. And with melted butter...oh my! YUM again!!!

CRAB. Although breaking crab legs open is a bit more work than I like to do for my food, once those bad boys are cracked and that LONG piece of leg meat comes out...all that work is worth it. Dipped in cocktail sauce, or melted butter. Ooh wee!!! Then there's crab dip, and crab cakes. Shut yo' mouth!!!

DARK CHOCOLATE. Oh, there are many things I could say about this one, but I'm gonna keep it clean. I will say that I used to HATE dark chocolate. Thought it tasted bitter. Now, I LOVE dark chocolate (with all of its antioxidants) and when I eat milk chocolate now it tastes like I'm eating straight sugar...YUK. So yeah, two thumbs up for dark chocolate.

GARLIC. I just can't say enough about garlic. Interestingly, I didn't discover garlic until I was an adult living on my own. Growing up, my parents NEVER used garlic. At least not fresh garlic. Maybe garlic salt or garlic powder...maybe, but that's a BIG maybe. I remember tasting it in food for the first time and wondering what it was in the food that was making it taste SO DARNED GOOD. I found out that it was garlic and began cooking with it. I use it in practically EVERYTHING that I cook. Baked dishes, sauteed dishes, soups, stews...pretty much everything except for sweet dishes. Oh, and I eat LOTS. So I'm sure that I reek! But of course, you know the rule about funky folks...they can never smell their own funk. So although I am 100% positive that I reek of garlic most days, my kids are the only ones who straight out tell me, "Mom...you STINK!!!" To which I reply, "I may stink, but I'm NEVER sick. When was the last time I had a cold or flu???" Crickets. Their answer is always the same, "You don't get sick." EXACTLY! They're never sick either. Why??? Because momma loads them up with garlic. Thank you very much! So yeah...garlic...yeah.

KALE. This is another food that I discovered as an adult. Four years ago to be exact when I was diagnosed with my "special" retina issues. My retina specialist was HORRIBLE and basically told me that I would eventually lose my eyesight. Yeah...that was a pretty heavy blow. So in a panic, I ask what can be done to keep that from happening. His non-caring answer was, "nothing". Gee...thanks for nothing. So, I began researching on my own. First of all, I am a woman of faith and I believe that the same God Who made these eyes will sustain the vision in these eyes. So, PRAYER was the first order of the day (and still is...EVERYDAY.) Then I began reading about the benefits of dark leafy greens and KALE was at the top of the list. I tried it in salads but didn't care for it very much that way. Then...I started roasting it. BINGO! I pretty much eat roasted kale every night now. Layer it on a cooking sheet, drizzle with a dab of "EVOO" and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Pop it in the oven til it gets crispy and ENJOY. So good!!!

PERSIMMONS. Yep...another adult discovery. I had my first persimmon two years ago and FELL IN LOVE! Where had this amazingly delicious fruit been all my life. I couldn't get enough of 'em. And since I discovered them toward the end of their season, there weren't many left...so I rationed them. Yes...that's how good they are. Difficult to explain their flavor so I would just have to encourage you to try one when they're in season again (usually around November-ish).

So there you have it folks. My seven FAVORITE foods. If you've been following the blog, you know that I ALWAYS do things in sevens. That's just my number.

Now...Let the DIALOGUE begin: What is YOUR favorite food. You don't have to list seven but it sure would make me happy if you would at LEAST list one (so I don't feel like I'm just talking to myself).

Talk to me!

Til next time...