Birdie is a Class Act

I sometimes call my mother Birdie as she eats so little, or Audie, or just plain Mom.
My mother Audra is a survivor and then some. She and Dad raised all four of us as if we were only children...always there for anything important in our lives. Beth and I are driving up to see her today. Mom is 86 and lives in a care residence.
I will never equal my mother, can only aspire to be the best Mom I can be to my kids.
Mom was home with us when we were young and all her life kept an immaculate house, especially her domain, the kitchen. We had a hot meal on the table each night, clean IRONED clothes in our closets and fresh underclothing, clean sheets on our beds each week, no dust bunnies under our beds, etc. She would wake us every Saturday morning with the sound of the vacuum cleaner. The most I ever remember doing was to wash windows, dust or help with dishes.
Dad had a business reversal which one day I will explain, so Mom went back to work as office supervisor at our local hospital. She would come home on her lunch hour to start dinner and was up some nights until 2 cleaning that kitchen, ironing, etc. She worked at the hospital until she had paid for all four of us to finish college, something she and Dad had started but had never been able to complete.
After Dad died she was worn down to nothing. My sister Martha took her in. Mom's one vice throughout life was her smoking. She caught her nightgown on fire at the age of 85 and endured painful skin grafting that we never thought she would make it through. She is now the darling of the resthome as she is so up most of the time and appreciates anything done for her.
I LOVE YOU MOM, MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER KNOW (That last part is what she now says to us everytime we see her). I thank God for her and my Dad. Sometimes in life you just luck out!
Marilyn