Marie: Rockin' at 65
"You can always be sure who your mother is, but you can never be sure who your father is." — Marie, attempting to derail an argument my father was actually winning. (she succeeded)
"Ok, ok, I'm sorry....two out of three of them are yours, but I'm not saying which two." — Marie, to my father, when, after 2 years of her repeating the above, asked her to stop saying that to "his" kids.
"Love, Mom & Dad(??)" — how Marie signs holiday cards to me.
"You can do anything you put your mind to." — Marie, to me, starting ever since I can remember, and to this day.
"I don't think they're ready for ME." — Marie, in response to me asking her if she was willing to engage in a discussion with the homophobic parents of a friend of mine....she's currently serving as proxyMom to said friend.
"My own mother died when she was 56. I'm going to be 65. I figure I'm on bonus time now, making up the rules as I go." — Marie, unprovoked.
"I wonder if I'm going to look older than my own mother when I get to heaven and she's there waiting. That'll be weird, huh?" — Marie, unprovoked.
"I told you that if you ever were going to do drugs that I'd do them with you so you could see how freakin' stupid they make you." — Marie, while punching my arm, after i told her I had smoked pot in the past. I was 32 at the time.
"Too many big words I don't understand. And too many F-bombs." — Marie, on why she stopped reading my blog.
"That was offensive to me. You forget I have a gay son who is more a man than those who mock him. At least he doesn't sit in judgement of others who are different, as a bigot does. And i was in SF for the history making of same sex marriages and proud to be there to witness equal rights for all of us. Wasn't so long ago that lefthanded people were forced to be right handed. I'm really amazed that educated people can be so narrow minded and hateful." — Marie, to a life-long friend of hers who'd emailed her something that trivialized San Franciso's same-sex marriage efforts.
Is there any wonder why I consider myself so goddamned lucky to have grown up at the hands of this woman?
On Friday, March 26, she turns 65. If you've met her, please wish her a Happy Birthday. Even if you've never met her, please consider it anyhow. She deserves every blessing and joy I can heap upon her.
I love you, Mom. Happy Birthday!