Happy Birthday Mom

This tribute is to my mother. As the beautiful siren here, you can see why my father married her. More than that, she has always been a guiding force in my life. She has always pushed me to be a better man and person. She has never been reluctant to let me accept mediocrity nor been shy to tell me why I could have done better. She introduced me to the world of reading at the library and never denied me the opportunity to check out as many books as my little arms could carry. It was her attentiveness that noticed my boredom in the children's section of the library when I was 9. It was she who introduced into me to the Arthurian like fantasy and gave me my first 726 page book to read while still in the 4th grade. I will never forget the sense of adventure while reading nor the thrill of accomplishing such a task. But she had faith in me; she knew I would complete it.


Unlike the photos with my Father, I could not find many solitary pictures of my mother. I realized like many good mothers, she was the one capturing the memories to ensure that one day we would be able to cherish them. I am surprised she managed to keep me as clothed as much as I was for this picture. I always remember her being there as a child. She was always my security that if something went wrong, she was just a screen door away from comfort and endless love. I am sure she appreciated all my naked adventures as a small child among horses, goats, and chickens.



I just had to put this picture in. As ugly as I may have been, this represented her ceaseless faith in me. She knew I needed prodding and she never let up on me. I would not have accomplished half the things in my life if it were not for her. I never would have achieved eagle scout, I never would have continued soccer to the degree that I did, and numerous other things. She is the archetypal mother. She inspires, she nudges, she loves. Her belief in me helps me succeed in life. She is the basis for which I found my wife.








Her knowledge of all things literary was an inspiration to me. She introduced to the world of Arthur and all of his knights. She introduced me to my imagination that would keep me occupied through the seemingly endless days of high school. She was always there to teach me and show me how great my potential was. Her example of raising 5 kids, teaching after the youngest of us was in elementary school, going to night classes to get her masters after teaching and having to deal with the likes of me exists only in the greatest of people.


She has supported me through everything I have ever wanted to do and somethings that I did not want to do. I have always loved her for that. She has NEVER given up on me and I hope that I can always make her proud. All the wretchedness that I am, she has always believed me to be Pig Will when it was clear to everyone else that I was Pig Won't. She has always made me want to be Pig Will. I love you mom. Happy Birthday.