"Wind Beneath My Wings (An Ode to my Ma)"

Very rarely do I turn my blog over to the arena of the 'sincere'...to pay homage to someone dear.

I last did that for little Egg's 5th birthday, and today I'd like to do it again.

Today is my Mum's birthday...and a pretty important one to boot (but I won't 'out' her online as every woman deserves to have her manifold years on this planet kept a secret known only to a few).

If I could be there in Canada with her, I would start the day off in the only sensible way: two giant triple shot cappuccinos...hell - I'd make them Caramel Macchiatos'

Then it would be a non-stop smattering of chatter and reminiscing, followed by 'dolling ourselves up' for a lovely wine-soaked leisurely lunch somewhere decadent. Afterwards, some strolling/browsing followed by a fabulous matinee in a near-empty cinema (giant popcorn and icy cold cokes)...

Emerging into the bright fading light of the late afternoon it would then magically be 'cocktail hour' and we'd raise a glass (or a few) to toast the most wonderful and unique person I know....my 'Ma'.

Everyone (decent) adores their mother...but mine is pretty special for reasons above and beyond mere familial affection and gratitude. My Mum is so multi-faceted, and has so many little talents that often go unnoticed or taken for granted.

She can for instance, turn birthday parties into stupendous occasions, by finding a million perfect accoutrements that render the ordinary 'extra-ordinary'. As children, our birthday parties were always the most sought after to get invites to on account of all the ceaseless hard work Mum did for weeks beforehand, making them absolutely perfect in every way. No detail was too small or too insignificant to overlook, and she threw herself into at least four birthdays a year for years and years...never complaining or growing tired of putting on such a show...the next one even better than the last...

Even minor holidays like St. Patrick's Day were not overlooked, and we'd be greeted by green pancakes in the morning (a moderate success), green cookies after school (confusing, but still okay), to other green foodstuffs for dinner (not so great, but good effort anyway!).

In essence, she made our precious growing up years (for the three 'Aunties' and myself) utterly magical, and introduced us from a young age to the joys of literature and poetry and beauty in nature. To this day, the bloom of an early Spring flower can literally bring tears of joy and delight to her eyes (that only a much-coveted dress on half price markdown can for me).

She's a bit of a poet our Ma...always has had a way with words..a true 'wordsmith'. I have boxes of letters and cards from her over the years which I simply can't throw away because the sentiments contained within are not only life affirming and so special, but also her legacy. And some of them contain downright sprinklings of genius :)

She also ceaselessly took millions of photographs through the years - despite our protestations and downright lack of cooperation - chronicling our individual 'stories' visually, so we would know how we came to be the women we are today. She made sure that we each had a personal history we can always reference and treasure...and one day pass on to our own offspring.

But mostly I love her so infinitely much because she's such a gem. I've simply never met anyone quite like her. A contradiction in terms, she is so simple in some regards but so unbelievably complex in others.

She has the ability to trancend the mundane and 'soar with the angels', and she passed this gift onto us...this way of perceiving the world and discovering what lies beneath the everyday fabric of existence.

.

She truly lives life in '3D' (which granted, can be both a blessing and a curse it's true...but still...wouldn't have it any other way).

And I wouldn't have HER any other way. She has given so much of herself, in every capacity, to her four, sometimes (very) undeserving, (often) emotionally lazy offspring.

She has encouraged us to LIVE, to DREAM (and to live our dreams!) and to revel in our uniqueness...she has always believed in us.

In the words of Bette Midler's 'The Rose', our beloved Mum has been 'The wind beneath our wings'...and a source of surprising power and inspiration which we all still very much depend upon today.

(Only now, as a mother myself, do I appreciate what a brilliant mom she is. It's bloody hard work.)

So Happy 'WHATEVER' Birthday Mum...I just want you to know that you are simply...THE BEST.

Full stop.

I'll end things here with a little tune I composed for my 'Ma' a few years ago. It's a bit 'rough', but it's real...

Just click on my picture to the right and it will take you to my MYSPACE page...and to the song 'DREAMER' (for Mum)...