Modern Day Southern Belle: Happy Birthday to My Sassy, Southern Mother!

We are very big on birthdays in my family. Honestly we are very big on any reason to celebrate. Monday? Let's celebrate! You finished a mundane task at work? Let's go out to dinner and celebrate! Friday? Oh yeah, definitely a cause for a celebration! You get the idea. We love an excuse to have a party, even a small one, so when real reasons for celebrations present themselves we happily embrace them.

This week is my mother's birthday week. That's right not just a day, we dedicate a whole week to the holiday. In the past I have tried, unsuccessfully, to get people to celebrate my birthday month but for some reason people get tired of telling me Happy Birthday every single day for a month.

With this week being my mother's birthday week, I have to really brag on how she inspires me. Not only has she instilled a love for life and celebrations in me, she has also given me a great perspective on age. I have never once heard my mother say that she was getting old nor has she ever lied about her age. She loves life at the moment she is in because this is her life at every stage and she doesn't want to miss a moment of it. She sets news goals for herself every year and seems to only get better with age. My mom laughs when she hears people complain about getting older because as she says, "There is only one alternative to getting older and that is death....so stop complaining!" This year, my sassy mom and best friend turns 59 years young. And her goal this year? Well she has quite a few but all are aimed at making herself even better as she prepares for her sensational 60s! Thank you Mama for your great attitude on life and for teaching me that youthfulness is an attitude and an energy - not a number. You are an inspiration to me and others! Happy Birthday and I love you!