A Tribute to My Mom's 90th Birthday

Tonight was a wonderful celebration with my family in honor of my dear Mom's 90th birthday. She is quite an inspiration to all of us. My  Dad passed away 12 years ago just before my parents 60th wedding anniversary. Watching Mom live on her own all these years with fierce independence is remarkable to witness. She is almost always with a cheerful positive attitude and prides herself in being a "spirit giver." She lives in a senior living complex and shares that some of the old people there are way too negative to her. So she doesn't go to the lunch room all the time as she needs a break. She plays Bingo every week and wins all the time. She say, "You know I always win everything I need. Last week I won paper towels and I was all out of them and this week I won tooth paste and I needed that too!" She makes me laugh with her appreciation of simple abundance.

Birthday girl Mom with sister in laws Roxie, Mary Beth & Me (the tall one in the back)

When people meet Mom they can't believe she's 90 years old. She has so few lines (never had work done to her face) and hardly any gray hair! She claims her good skin is from using Nivea cream for all these years. And of course, she doesn't sit in the sun. She's remarkable and I have learned many fearless lessons from her.

Mom is in the phase of her life that she doesn't want anymore cards or material things. She brought a card from each one of us that she has treasured over the years and had us write something new in them for her 90th birthday. I love that, it not only saves paper and money, it's a great heart felt ritual. So I decided that we all needed to read our cards at dinner. My brother Johnny went first and later he went through dates pertinent to my Mom starting with 1923, when she was born, and named off important events that happened that year. I love my family and how much fun we have when we get together.

One of the fearless lessons Mom taught me is to surround yourself with beauty. She always loved beautiful old hotels with lot's of history. So we took her for her birthday dinner at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena.

I feel so blessed to have been adopted into such a wonderful, fun and festive family. Happy Birthday Mom!

Yours in fearless gratitude,

Mary Ann