Happy birthday to my mom.
She's an amazing person. You should see some of the quilts she's made, and the stacks of jellies and home-canned fruits she creates in her regular dervishes of activity. She seems to always be on the winning team at innumerable Trivia Nights, which means her apartment is overflowing with Pasta House gift certificates and other such prizes when really she was only after the braggin' rights.
And that's just, you know, Current Model Mom. To think this same woman grew up during the Depression, went to work to help support her family, spent a couple of years in the convent with the dream of becoming a teaching sister, was thwarted in that attempt, got out, married a computer guy back when there were no computers, had six kids, has taken rather a lot of trips overseas--it kinda helps put it into perspective that today she'll happily engage in conversation about Thomas Aquinas and then offer her opinion on some Radiohead video I'm watching or prove that she knows all the names of the members of U2.
As I said, amazing.
Happy Birthday to the best mother I've ever known. As I try to take care of my own family, I'm constantly wondering how she managed. I've only got two kids. We occasionally take short, 1-2 day, driving trips to visit family. And we eat in restaurants and stay in motels. When we were kids, we went on ANNUAL cross-country CAMPING trips - all the way to New York or San Diego to visit relatives. I realize the camping part was to save money, but how did she keep her sanity?
Mom, I don't tell you often enough how much I love you and admire your strength and spirit. Like your baby girl said, amazing!
I seem to recall the day that she corrected me in my pronunciation of Bono, which I had pronounced the same way as you'd pronounce Sonny Bono, you know, of Sonny & Cher?
I was quickly corrected and she said "Don't let Angela hear you pronounce it that way," hehe.
Yea, she's a crafty woman all right, and rich with the knowledge of the world. Think of all the music she has experienced too. She has seen the rise & fall, well, demise of the King, Elvis. She saw the Beatles take the scene, and part ways. There has been such a drastic change in music over the years and she got to experience it first hand. I think that's really quite fortunate.
I've seen her quilts too. They're simply amazing. Well, to me it isn't any wonder that Angela turned out as cool as she did, since Angela's the apple. You know how the old saying goes.
Brava, Mrs. Pancella. Happy Birthday to You!
You're the coolest!
It's not easy task to speak about somebody you don't really know, except from what her daughter told you over e-mail - and it wasn't too much. But the simple fact that this woman brought to life and raised an opera singer and an accomplished writer, plus other four children that I'm sure make their mark on earth, is enough proof of her exceptional quality. In this context, the fact that she can do anything she puts her mind to can't really surprise me. So I'm sending a hearty 'Happy Birthday' from Romania!
Posted by: Anca at September 9, 2003 11:13 AMWe raised her well, didn't we?
Posted by: Pete at September 13, 2003 11:30 AM