for my mom

Every year on her birthday my boss sends a dozen roses to her mother to thank her for giving her life. I always intended to start this tradition myself, but never got around to it. My mom passed away two years ago in October. If I ever had doubts about the afterlife however, her passing blew them out of the water. Mom and I talked weekly when she was alive - but she was 3,000 miles away. Now, however, Mom is very present to me. Obviously it's different than when I could just pick up a phone and talk to her to get advice or to bitch and moan about the current "tragedy" in my life. But in a way that I can feel but can't properly describe, I know she's with me and always will be. For example, even though I never got a chance to talk to her about this whole religious vocation thing, I know she knows and I know she's very happy. I also have a suspicion that she's been pulling some strings.

In any case, it's never too late to start a new tradition. And so these flowers are for my mother Eileen on my 33rd birthday. To thank her for all the gifts she has given me - from life itself to an appreciation for the simple beauty of the ocean to a loving family to a desire to make the world a better place to a love of God … the list goes on and on. Thanks Mom. I love you and I miss you dearly.