Happy Mother’s Day You Mothers!

A happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there. 

This will be my own mom’s 59th Mother’s Day, as she qualified in late July, 1951 while my father was deployed in Korea. She renewed her membership in 1954, 1958 and um, 1967 when I stepped off the caboose of the fertility train. Mom was a Registered Nurse for over 50 years, one of which was spent pretty much at the side of my older brother Paul’s bed when he was hospitalized at the age of 4. Along with my dad she put all 4 of us through college, and is now the happy grandmother of 8 Farandas, aged 3 to 28. 

Her finest hour is difficult to pin down; she had quite a few of them. I do recall one moment when she came through, and I was not a little kid either. I vividly remember sitting with her and my father in front of Villanova University’s Kennedy Hall on the first day of freshman orientation before they returned to the empty nest. I confided in her that I was a little nervous, and she laughed. “Philip, you are a winner.” That came out of nowhere (not her typical vernacular) and helped quite a bit. I will go to my grave believing that I could hear her voice out of hundreds or thousands screaming my name at wrestling and rowing competitions. 

Today is Ann’s 8th Mother’s day. Our oldest, Luke, was born in 2002, less than 10 months after we tied the knot. She had labor pains starting Friday as I recall, and Luke made his entrance by c-section Tuesday morning. It was an ordeal, but when she held him for the first time, she said, no kidding, “Can we have 10 more?” That’s my girl. 

We had 3 more (and one miscarriage), and I wonder how many there would be if we met at 22 and not 32. Being my partner in the business and full time mom with one child with autism, a double jointed ambidextrous octopus has nothing on her. I look forward to the day I can take her to Aruba for Mother’s Day instead of making a husband omelet and going to work. 

So those are my two. Happy Mother’s day to you and yours, and thanks to all for making all those houses we sell homes.