Ladyblog

today marks what would have been (or in my dad’s words, would have/should have been) my mom’s 65th birthday.  i’ve been thinking of her all day and wishing she were here to celebrate this milestone.

this photo was taken on my mom’s 61st birthday at luna in spokane, two weeks before she died.  she and my dad came up to spokane to celebrate with matt and i (what i wouldn’t give for one more of those visits – my parents were so kind and visited me frequently).  while matt was able to spend time with my mom three times in total, it’s the only photo i have of mr. halloran with her.

my family is celebrating in different ways today.  my brother and greg in nyc, and mr. halloran and i here in spokane, will be visiting one of her favorite restaurants and ordering her favorite dish – the riblets.  (sidenote: my mother was a brilliant, cultured academic that loved things that didn’t quite fit the bill of that type of persona, such as applebee’s, casinos, and movies with crazy special effects.  it makes me laugh a little.)  my dad and mhairi will also be eating ribs at home.  i haven’t talked to my sister today, but i’m sure she’s doing something to remember her as well.

i miss my mother every single day –  but it’s these kinds of milestone days that make me miss her even more.  she probably would’ve hated turning 65 – as does any woman, i’m sure – but i’m sure she would have shared a glass of wine with my dad, celebrated with dinner with us, and taken some time to look into the woods and landscape around our house on the palouse to contemplate how thankful she was for this life.

love you mama.

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