I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to my mother.  

She is a person who is always there for me, and been willing to sacrifice so much to make me, and our family happy.   She came to this country from Finland as a young adult and worked hard to gain her citizenship.  She quit her job as a teacher to raise four children.

Being the baby of the family, I have fond memories of time spent with my mother after school  (…some of which include shopping days at the local department store, and watching Sesame Street while eating apples and cheese).  She patiently let us set up tents, Barbie houses, and forts all around the house and yard – and allowed us to keep them up for days at a time.

She held my hand and gave me unconditional love through the rough patches and poor decisions in high school and college, and has been a sounding board and shoulder to cry on as I’ve tried to navigate my way through adulthood.

I’ll never forget my last trip home a few years ago, before my dad retired.  My childhood home was up for sale, and my parents were moving out of California after 46 years.  I traveled home, one last time, and spent the entire week with my mother – reading, eating, visiting, and going to Disneyland (twice!).  Mom and I ran around that theme park like we were eight year old kids – sprinting from The Haunted Mansion to Thunder Mountain in the minutes before the park closed, to get in just one more ride!

This year my mom turns 70.

 70 years that she has brought joy to the people around her.

How lucky we are!

How lucky I am.

Thank you, Mom.

I love you.

Happy Mother’s Day

Tiina