Mama

The first time I heard the term “Steel Magnolia” I thought of Mama, that’s what we all call her. There is a certain quiet elegance about her that is threaded with a steely strength. Mama is country through and through, not the stereotype that you see from every bad sitcom and stand up comic. She is something far more substantial, unassuming, honest, genuinely kind, hardworking and selfless to a fault.

Raising five boys is not an easy task, but when you meet her you realize she is the glue that holds the family together. She has always put her family first and her boys have become fine men that any mother would be proud of. I have been fortunate to be best friends with one of her sons for the past 25 years and Mama made me feel part of the family the moment I first walked through her front door. In fact, the whole family made me feel welcome. In one of the lowest points of my life they took me in and helped me get back on my feet again. At a time when my own family was not there for me. I don’t think she realizes how much she touches people’s lives and I think that sometimes she is taken for granted.

In this crazy world of plastic surgery, where every one is afraid to show their age and it is all about being beautiful. Mama has a kind of beauty that no surgeon’s scalpel could replicate. She has mellowed in kindness and garbed herself with grace and dignity. She is a pearl among women!

I love you Mama! Happy 80th birthday!