Another birthday, another member of the fam to celebrate. Today is my mother's birthday and how I wish I could be there with her. In addition to her greatest accomplishment, i.e. my birth, she has lived an inspiring life. She has sacrificed more than thirty years to her family in the midst of tremendous obstacles and major life changes. From the rigorous country life in Ireland to the madness of city life in Phoenix my mother has braved it all. She has raised five marvelous children who are better prepared for this life because of her influence and her great love for us. In my life she has always shown such great care for me. I know that so much of the security I felt in my childhood rested in that knowledge. Even now she looks for small ways to remind me of that love and her thought for me.

How has her love and life influenced yours one might ask? I am a more caring and loving man as result of her influence. I am better prepared for marriage and fatherhood. She showed me what it means to make a home a home where others are welcomed and can find rest. So few people understand anymore how to make there home a place of welcome and care but I have seen that I appreciate this and cherish the opportunity to create that environment. There is something so refreshing in arriving at a home where preparations are always made to refresh the guest. My mother is very affectionate also and I have certainly followed in the footsteps. I have seen time and time again the power behind displaying affection to those that I love. Individuals in society today are starved of that language of love and I know that I am blessed to understand its necessity.

All that I want in the future comes with sacrifice and the example of my mother is an inspiration towards that end. She has given so much of herself to my father and to the lives of myself and my siblings. It is a gift of God that I need not search for such an example. Even now the work that she has chosen as a medical assistant is a testament to the care she has for others and the conscientious attitude with which she approaches her work. Happy Birthday to one whose life has meant so much for mine. Click on the picture to see some more and do not forget to read Turkish Delights Part 2 below.