- She's 4 feet 10 inches tall, MAYBE 100 lbs.
- She's a cleaning lady
- She's a raging hippie
- She was married to my dad for 6 years in her early twenties, and has been single ever since
- Don't get her started on any of the following topics: Ralph Nader, welfare reform, women/celibacy in the priesthood, whether you should have another baby, or Dubya (SERIOUSLY).
Here we are with my sister, who looks like a GIANT in this picture. She's 5'2".
My mom is the most generous person I have ever met. Seriously, it's annoying. She INSISTS on sending us money for our birthdays and Christmas, despite my INTENSE discomfort with this situation. She's never had much (she's a cleaning lady and a single mom, for god's sake), but it's like what she does have burns a charitable hole in her pocket. JUST THIS MORNING she sent me an email about how she is giving to the fund for my classmate Matt who was killed in Afghanistan, and how "it's not what you give up for Lent, it's what you give". GAH! The guilt!
She has a particular soft spot for single moms and people who are down on their luck for whatever reason (addiction, divorce, illness). Once when I was in high school, a single mom and her two daughters moved to town, and my mom found out they had come from a pretty bad situation and didn't have much in their home. She went around town collecting money to purchase a VCR, which she left anonymously at the office of the school. Another time she met a woman who was in treatment for alcoholism, and got our family together to purchase toys and books for the woman's children, who wouldn't have had any Christmas gifts with their mother in treatment. She gives to the priest's retirement fund every single year, even though she has no retirement fund of her own.
I hope that I grow to have the deep sense of empathy and generosity of spirit that my mom has. I don't know if I will. It was born of a set of circumstances she worked very hard to make sure we didn't have. The best thing about her is that there is no person so low, so broken, so shamed and ruined, that she isn't willing to reach out. Even Dubya. Heh. She might kick him in the junk first though. But then, she'd totally leave him an anonymous VCR.
47 comments:
Aw, dude.
So, so nice.
I'd ask her to kick Dubya EXTRA HARD in the junk, though. Before the VCR.
I don't usually appreciate comments dissing the President, but I did snort about the idea of her giving him an anonymous VCR after...ahem...telling him what she thinks.
Very nice post. :)
I can't even leave a jackass comment about this- your mom is clearly awesome!
That is so nice!
Hope my kids will think so well of me when they grow up.
Happy birthday to your awesome mom! When I hear great stories like this, I feel the sudden urge to create memories like this for my kids. The VCR story is awesome.
Lori-I KNOW! How the hell am I going to compete with that? GAH! The pressure!
This is so sweet. And your mom's generosity explains a lot about you and why you are such a great person yourself. Because seriously, you are, even if your mom's generosity makes you feel like you've been put to shame.
Happy birthday to your mom!
Ah she sounds like a great mom! Thanks for sharing!!!
Your mom sounds like such a FUN lady! A fun SHORT lady. Happy birthday, Tessie's Mom!
How flipping SWEET! I hope she has a happy happy day! And seriously, you guys are the cutest (and littlest) ever!
I would love your mom just for being shorter than me but she sounds awesome! God I hope my kids have such nice things to say about me . . .
can we get HER a VCR for her birthday because now I kindda want to give her a hug or something
This is wonderful. Happy birthday Tessie's mom! Wish her a happy day from all of us "strangers" out here in the land of blogs!
Your mom sounds great!
Trying... SO HARD... not to tell you... how tiny... you all are...
Your mom sounds like a wonderful person and a great example. Happy Birthday, Tessie's mom, from the blogosphere! ~LA
I totally want to hang out with your family: I will look fat but tall! I never get to look tall!
Happy birthday to your mom! That kind of generosity is really inspiring.
...because I know... how much... you hate that...
Swistle-HAHA! That's okay, I know it's just the Diet Talking.
...but that only... makes it MORE... tempting...
yay tessie's mom! i don't even hope for that sort of empathy one day, because it would be like hoping i could also have telepathy and xray vision. a little bit would be good, though.
also, wow. 4'10". my mom's 5'0", so i already look like a gargantuan freak standing next to her at 5'8". heaven forbid i wear heels, too.
Alice-Heh. Telepathy and xray vision. I know. I think I'm a pretty empathetic person, but the generosity...could use some work.
I thought my family was tiny! You guys make us feel tall! (I am your sister in our family pictures being that i tower over everyone at 5'3 1/2")
I LOVE your mom!!!! People like her make the world a place I want to be. I would love her even more if she actually kicked Dubya's junk! and here is where I will not comment on the fact that this would be assuming that he had any junk.....
and, please lets get her on the internet so we can discuss celibacy in the priesthood and a myriad of other Catholic controversies! I just finished The Making of the Pope by Andrew Greely. I am so obsessed with all things related to any organized religion, but especially my own.
Your mom is awesome.
Your mom sounds great - happy birthday your Mom! Also, my mom would probably love to have all of her pictures taken with your family instead of her own - she's 5'2", my dad is 6'2" and I'm 5'6" - almost every family photo involves one or the other of my parents heads being nearly out of the picture.
Happy birthday, Tessie's mom! What a bunch of cuties you are. My mom, sister and I are definetely more on Amazonian side of the spectrum.
awww. :)
I love your mom! She is amazing to say the least! She has always seemed to me to be so confident and comfortable with who she is, I love that about her!
What a wonderful post.!:)
This was so nice. Your Mom sounds like such a wonderful person!
Happy Birthday to your Mom! She sounds like and a great person.
Ha, your sister looks DOES look like a giant! Hard to believe she's only 5'2" there.
Moms are great things, eh?
Happy Birthday, Tessie's Mom!
God, I'd hate to stand next to you and feel like the Jolly Green Giant at 5'6".
She sounds like a real firecracker! And super sweet too, what a combo.
Happy Birthday Tessie's awesome mom. What a sweet post.
Happy Birthday to your Mom!! She is such an incredible person!!
I had to smile at the Lent and giving quote....she told me something very similar at AD's birthday party. We were sitting at your pool with our feet in the water and it was one of those neat moments/conversations that just stick with you. :-)
Aw, happy birthday to your Mom! She sounds awesome.
Happy Birthday, Tessie's mom!
She sounds wonderful, Tessie. You've written a lovely post about her.
I think she may have rubbed off on you more than you think. There are many generous glimmers on this here site, missy.
Wow! She sounds like an amazing person! Love the Dubya part, especially!!
What a sweet little virtual birthday card to a great mom!
I think we need something in the picture to help us with the relative size of y'all.
What a great mom!! But I do want to hear what she would say about all those topics. Please tell.
Happy birthday, Tessie's mom!
Apparently, Blogger does not wish to permit me to say happy birthday to Tessie's mom, so let's try again, a little bit louder.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TESSIE'S MOM!!!
It sounds like your mom is a fun person and a GIVER. Two very good qualities. So I definitely hope she has a wonderful, wonderful birthday!
Happy Birthday, Tessie's Mom! She sounds absolutely awesome. I am so freakin jealous. Please tell her she has lots of fans out here in blogland.
Happy Birthday Tessie, Sr!
She sounds like a wonderful woman.
I think I would enjoy meeting your mom.
Happy Birthday Mrs. Tessie!
(That's how Brett & I refer to the parents of kids at our boys' babysitters... Mr. & Mrs. Derek, Mr. & Mrs. Jack... thanks to Swistle).
That picture of you three is adorable.
Oh, now I have a crush on your mom. What a cool post to honor such a cool person!
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