With sincere appreciation

Miss Faye
My Mother is of a certain age. She is no doubt the biggest influence of my life. I have learned so much from her and I am often hearing her voice in my ear. My Mother's personality is huge, she fills up a room and will not ever be ignored. She is the center of attention, Queen Bee, Grand Dame. That is how I see her now and always.
Although she has softened with age, she is not warm and fuzzy. She does not display or tolerate shows of emotion easily. She is proud. She is high spirited and high maintenance. She is smart. She is funny. She is beautiful. She raised us "old school", with bed times, chores and whuppins when needed. Back talk, eye rolling, and stomping away were not options we could exercise.
I think like a lot of people my age, I am constantly amazed at how much better equipped people of my mother's generation seemed to be to handle adulthood. When my Mother was my age, she had three daughters, a grown son, grandchildren, two ex-husbands, a boyfriend or two, a full social calendar, and a full time job. She has done it all. She has traveled, socialized, entertained, cooked, decorated, single-handedly raised kids, and run her homes. I can't even remember to feed my dog from day to day.

I love this picture of Mama, because she looks conservative and genteel. The picture is a lie, it is only a moment in time. What is true about the photograph is the absolute class and glamour which my Mother has always easily possessed. She is a charming woman and I will always be enchanted by her.

Love M.