one thousand eight hundred and six

days ago, i took this picture of my mom holding my daughter, bunny. i took it two days before my mom's birthday and joked that this was the best birthday present i was ever going to get her. bunny had been an independent operator for approximately sixteen hours when this shot was taken.

my mom has given me many many gifts in my life; the knowledge that if i work hard enough at something i will always succeed at it, an overwhelming urge to be generous with whatever good fortune or wealth comes my way, the ability to lose myself entirely and completely in a great book, the blessing of strength..the kind of strength that surprises even yourself, the skill of cleaning a house from top to bottom so thoroughly that counter tops and floor boards sparkle as if seen through some crazy 70's lens filter...starburst i think it's called....anyway....she also taught me about run on sentences but i just refuse to abide by those rules.

my mother has supported me full heartedly in every single endeavor i have ever taken up. she has loved me so fully, so unconditionally, so unwaveringly that it often makes my head spin.

a few days after bunny was born i found myself sitting on her nursery floor, looking at the most beautiful face i had ever seen. i was absolutely terrified. i had never been around kids. i had never held a baby or changed a diaper. it was at that moment that i realized that the best gift my mom had ever given me was her template for how to be a mother.

bunny's birthday is in 19 days. my mom's is in 21 days. i think bunny is still the best gift i'm ever going to be able to give her.

Done