For Mom's 72nd Birthday

June 22, 2025

My mom celebrates her loved ones on her Facebook account, sharing her love, joy, and pride in her children and grandchildren, marking birthdays and accomplishments.

In this vein, I posted some thoughts to my own Facebook account today as it is my mom’s birthday.

Mom is in Alberta right now on one of her regular trips back to the Motherland (as I call it) to visit her sister, brothers, other family and friends. And posting my affection to Facebook, the way she does for her loved ones, is one way to communicate my love to her from afar. (I also sent a card in her luggage, to be opened on her birthday).

I don’t know that I’ve done this before, copied and pasted a Facebook post to my blog, but that’s what this post is.

This is my Facebook birthday greeting to Mom.

Why post it here? Because I want the record of it, the record of my love for her (which grows from her love for me) on my own site.

Also, these reflections are the stuff of my life. My relationships, and specifically the work of relationship-tending and care is one of the axes by which I orient my life. This is what I am about. So here it is, a Facebook post for my mom, on her 72nd birthday.

Happy Birthday to my mom Karen Toews.

Something I love about getting older is the appreciation I feel in my bones for my parents. I’ve always loved and respected them. And have felt proud to be their daughter. (My parents are amazing people.)

But gosh, the appreciation and affection I feel for them just grows year by year.

And birthday’s are a good time to reflect on this.

Mom, what I appreciate about you (amongst too many other things to list) is how you set an example for your family, for me, on how to live well.

You live with enthusiasm and energy, hope, determination and steadfastness, service and care, adaptability, good humour, appreciation and wonder. I want to be like you when I grow up.

Motivational speakers talk about the importance of the circle of influence in one’s life. The gist being that we become like the people we spend the most time with.

This is one of the reasons I’m so grateful, blessed, and happy to be your neighbour and friend, as well as your daughter. This is why I’m so happy that you are in my closest circle of relationship. Who you are makes other people better, you bring health and goodness into people’s lives.

You not only love me (so well), but you show me how to love, and you encourage me, just in your living, how to live.

I can’t believe my good fortune in being gifted you as a mom. Like you have often told me, I adore you.

Wishing you the happiest birthday.