Wednesday, October 20, 2010

My Life as a Daughter

I hosted my mother's 75th birthday luncheon at my home today.  Even as I type, the first load of dishes is in the dishwasher and the napkins are in the washing machine.  Nine of her girlfriends were here to celebrate and it really was just a ball of fun.

My mother is simply amazing.  Her father died when she was young and she has run a ranching and oil & gas business since that time -- probably about 45 years -- back when a lot of women didn't do that kind of work.  She battled the old boy's network and won.  My father died when I was 5 years old and Mom made decisions that benefitted my brother and me immensely.  She made choices and sacrifices to keep my brother and me safe and secure.  And always with the same FABULOUS hairdo that she still sports today.

Contrast this with a story I heard yesterday from a caseworker about a mother who sexually abused her own daughter, then had the gall to post photos on the internet of her crime.  The details are so harrowing that I don't want to discuss them further.

Why did I end up with my wonderful mother and why did this little girl end up with hers? 

I know that all of you reading this didn't have the greatest mom in the world.  Lots of us weren't that lucky.  But today, I'm just wishing that one little 18-month-old girl had had a Cindrette Ricker McDaniel.  And I'm glad that this 49-year-old girl did.

6 comments:

  1. Wonderful post Paige. Your mama...who opened her home to help you host a fabulous baby shower for me...is truly wonderful. With a faboo 'do too. Love you both.

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  2. Here is a posting from Lue White (she doesn't have any of the accounts she needed to post, so asked me to do it for her
    )
    Paige - what a lovely and on target tribute to your mother. Her friendship has been very important to me all these years and who would have thought that our daughters would now be friends. What a nice way to carry on a friendship. Lue White

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  3. Here is a posting from Lue White (she doesn't have any of the accounts she needed to post, so asked me to do it for her
    )
    Paige - what a lovely and on target tribute to your mother. Her friendship has been very important to me all these years and who would have thought that our daughters would now be friends. What a nice way to carry on a friendship. Lue White

    ReplyDelete
  4. Please tell your mom thanks, Leslie! She called my mom and read her the post. She loved it!

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  5. Beautiful post! Love to Cindrette!

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