May 16

Almost 25 years ago I decided to throw my mother a surprise birthday party. By that point, my own big "invite-a-dozen-friends-and-get-lots-of-presents" birthday bashes had hit the end of the road and I'm pretty sure the party was planned in part because I was jonesing for some cake and balloons.

My mother was pleasantly surprised when she came home to find a houseful of 12-year-old girls yelling "Happy Birthday!" But later in the evening, at the same time she was giving me motherly hugs and thanking me for the lovely party, she did mention how nice it would have been if HER friends had also been invited.

I'm grateful that she was so gracious but still got her point across. I try hard in my own life to live the lessons she taught, and always, my first rule when planning someone else's party, is to invite their friends first. Then, if there's enough cake, I can invite mine.

But really, I'm grateful that I was lucky enough to be born her daughter. Happy Birthday, Mom! You are the best!