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Happy Birthday Mom!

As soon as I said that my goal this Lent was to find an inner peace by Easter Sunday, my world turned very stressful.

My siblings and I planned an 80th birthday party for my Mom.  Since I was a small child, I love birthdays...expecially mine!  Age is just a number, right?  Anyway, we had her party at a great Irish Pub called Riley's Pour House Website  in Carnegie, PA.  I love this pub! I love the owner Jim Riley because he has a great sense of humor and is very kind.  I still think that if you own an Irish Pub then you should be able to play the Bagpipes, right Jim Riley?  If your searching for an Irish Pub with great food and entertainment, not to mention the crowd of great people, then definitely stop at Riley's!

The party was packed at noon, on a Sunday, during a snow storm.  That is how our family rules.  Half a foot of snow?  Who cares!  My Mom thought she was having lunch with her children and grandchildren.  It was very very hard keeping this quiet AND stopping her from snooping.  All of my life I have heard how I take after my Dad.  Nope.  I take after Mom.  My Mother was incorrigible.  But we pulled it off.

My Mom raised seven children.  She and my Dad were great examples of their Catholic faith.  When I enter my Church on Sundays, I can still imagine my Father sitting in a pew praying.  Praying that he was a good Dad and praying that he could continue to support his family and always praying for his children.  My Mother is the Prayer Warrior.  Always with a rosary in hand and praying for anyone that needs it.  She is a great example of what a wife and mother should be.  She was frugal before it was cool!  She is my rock, my encyclopedia, my laughing pal, my wine partner, but most of all she is my best friend.  While my Dad was loving bluegrass and country music, she was listening to classical and taking us to ballets!  They sure came from different backgrounds too.  Dad grew up in Crafton, PA and had a Leave it to Beaver kinda childhood.  He had a million stories of growing up.  My Mom grew up on a farm in Indiana, PA to parents that immigrated from Austria before WWI.  Their life was a hard life.

What truly is a blessing, is how she never wavered in her faith.  She trusted that we would all take my  parents lead.  I would say they did a great job.  I have come to know and love my Catholic faith because of their example.  I pray that my children do the same.

So my Mother will officially be 80 on St. Patricks Day.  She is the youngest of ten!  Six are still alive!!!  I think she has at least another 20 years ahead of her, don't you?  Happy Birthday Mom, I love you so!


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