DEAR MOM

Dear Mom: Thank you for giving me life...For holding me close to you and making me feel safe. Thank you for the great meals you made. Thank you for pretending to fish with me, when I was a little boy. I didn't know that we were fishing in a puddle in the street, in front of the old flat on 65th street, with a stick and a piece of string. Dear Mom, thank you for taking me for walks in the park, and letting me pick berries. Thank you for taking me to the public library at age 9, and getting me my library card. You were the one who taught me the joy of reading and the value of knowledge. You taught me how to bathe, how to pray, what to eat for good health. Mom, you taught me about God and how thankful I should be for all the gifts He has given me. Dear Mom, through your example you taught me humility, patience, love, compassion, and how important it is for me to do my very best, at whatever I do. Dear Mom, thank you for begging the Augustinian fathers to take me into St. Rita High School. You knew we were too poor to pay for this fine education. You humbled yourself to make a better life for me. Thank you Mom, for working so hard at your job, so you could help me pay for my college education. I'm sorry that I spent some of the checks you sent me on beer. Thank you for listening to my tales of woe as I zoomed through my adult life. You listened patiently, even though you had a much harder life than me. Dear Mom, thank you for you patience when you grew old. You knew I didn't mean the things I said to you in frustration and anger. I should have done more for you, with an attitude of love. Dear Mom, thank you for loving me right up to the end of your life. You died in my arms. I will never forget how your eyes filled with an unearthly light. If there is a God, surely you are with Him. Most of all, Mom, thank you for listening to me every night when I say my prayers. You give me the strength to follow your example and love with reckless abandon. This is your greatest gift to me. I love you, Mom.