Every year, my mother gives me more and more reasons to keep adding to this list and re-posting it!
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Why My Maman is the Best Maman in the World
- She never used to wake us up early on the weekends. Instead, she would let us sleep in, and make us pancakes almost every Sunday, and yummy hot chocolate every morning before school;
- She introduced me to all my favorite music - Billie Holiday, Diana Krall, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Pink Martini, The Gypsy Kings, Getz & Gilberto;
- She made sure we grew up speaking three languages, even if it meant having to do boring French "homework" while we were on vacation in France;
- She taught me to cook, bake, and to love doing it, all while keeping it healthy;
- She brought us on so many adventures - Mexico, Arizona, Spain, the French and Italian Alps, Canada, Provence, the Cote d'Azure, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Paris, Vermont, and so many more;
- She taught me the importance of being honest, not just with others, but with yourself;
- She'll randomly surprise me with little sartorial gifts, while at the same time keeping me in check when I just have to have that new pair of shoes;
- She has always encouraged me to do whatever makes me happy, and has wholeheartedly supported every decision I've made;
- She (slowly, but surely) taught me the importance of financial responsibility, both by being stern (when I was in college and needed it), and being encouraging (now that I have a real grown-up job);
- She gave me the opportunity to explore everything that piqued my interest at some point or another during my childhood--ballet, choir, musical theater, sculpture, piano, ceramics, drawing, gymnastics, cross country running, crew--just in case it was something I would end up loving and wanted to do forever;
- She makes silly pronunciation mistakes in English and is still a good sport about letting us poke fun at her French accent;
- We wear the same size in clothes and shoe, and if she has something I really love she'll let me steal it :). If she really loves it too, she'll buy me one of my own;
- She taught me how to fold a fitted sheet;
- She helped me arrive at the realization that it's better to have one great, timeless item of clothing, than a bunch of "meh" disposable pieces;
- And she helped me pick out those great, timeless items;
- She gave us crash courses in table manners before going to visit my grandmother in France, and was never exasperated when she had to do it all over again the next summer,
- She taught me that looking put together is important;
- But also that there's nothing better getting messy and dirty while doing something fun.
- She taught me how to properly set a table for a dinner party (even with multiple forks and knives!);
- She taught me about wine;
- And that sometimes it's ok to pop a bottle of champagne on a Wednesday, just because;
- She's always willing to have a homebody night on the couch with a yummy dinner and a movie, even when we've made plans to go to the cinema;
- If I haven't been home in too long, and work is keeping me busy, she'll take an impromptu trip down to New York to make sure we don't go more than a couple of months without seeing each other;
- And when she comes to visit, she practically knows the city better than I do--taking me to all the latest plays, restaurants, and museum shows;
- She taught me how to make crepes. And then repeated the recipe from memory to me, every time I called to ask her what ingredient I was forgetting;
- She gave me her beautiful green eyes, and petite frame;
- She has showed me that living a life full of compassion and generosity towards others, even if it occasionally means cutting back on something for yourself, is the most satisfying kind of life.
I love you, Maman!
Happy Mother's Day!
