happy birthday, dear mama

aren't old photos of parents just the best?

this is my mama & her irish setter, shanty, taken by my dad in... ohh.. 1977... ish.

it's her birthday today, & we are celebrating all of her wonderful ways.

it really is amazing how much I've learned about her since I got married.

I always thought I was a daddy's girl.

I even thought that I looked more like him.

but from looks to personality, there is so much more of her to me than I ever thought.

sometimes I see this because she's verbally shared wisdom from an experience,

but mostly because of the small ways I find myself trying to do things the way mom did it.

every time I catch myself trying to figure out how mom made something work,

I know her just a little better.

how she did things. why she did things.

her wisdom. her deep love. the simple ways she shows it.

there's a lot of her in me, & I am so proud of that.

so happy birthday, mama.

you are an inspiration, & a perfect friend.

I love you!

xo, kelsey