January 3rd, 2015 Happy Birthday Mom.

Today would be my mom's 61st birthday.  She passed away in 2005 and I can't believe it's almost been 10 years.  My mother's passing also marks the first year I began teaching.  So whenever someone asks me how long I've been a teacher I equate it to how long my mom has been gone.  Today was like any other and I don't feel sad or mad in anyway.  Grief is a process and it's different for everyone.  I didn't mark today as being special or especially hard as I no longer look at my mom's being gone as a bad thing.  It's like anything in life, you have to make the best of it.  If you choose to look at life's events in a negative light, well then it will be negative.  If you choose to look at life's events in a positive light, then it will be positive.  I spent the day in Modesto buying my son a new Build a Bear stuffed dog.  I owe a great deal of my success to my Mom.  She enjoyed these types of outings, she would have loved to come to Modesto to help Brody pick out a new Build-a-Bear.  In a way that makes me sad for a second but it also makes me happy that she passed on her love for children and her propensity to love unconditionally.  So at the end of the day I smile, I miss her everyday, not just on her birthday but anytime I feel sad or lonely I think of all the love she poured into me and how it's overflowing for my loved ones and for my family and friends.  I owe her for giving me a big heart.  I owe her for teaching me how important it is to love people as much as you can.  I am grateful for the 27 years I got to spend with her and I will continue to spread her legacy on to everyone I come into contact with.  She would have loved that.