You know who you are...

........ is a woman with a simple name and a pleasant exterior covering up hundreds of fascinating layers that combine to make up who she really is. Some of these layers are so strong, so unbelievably tough and resilient. What I would give to have a tenth of her strength... Some of the layers are softer than a dandelion floating away on a child's breath. She has known absence, and appreciates presence more dearly. She has known heartbreak, yet is first to forgive. She has known Want, and appreciates Having. She has looked right into the face of serious illness without flinching. When she sees injustice, she does not avert her eyes. When she gets knocked down, she forces herself to get back up again. She is an old-fashioned girl at heart, adapting old-fashioned kind of values to this modern world. She is probably oblivious to the fact that she represents Hope, inspiration that maybe we too can choose to make the most of what Life hands us. Proof that we are not defined by what we cannot control, but by how we live our lives. A mother like none other I have known. Fiercely protective, while encouraging growth and independence. Honest and understanding, able to understand and empathize during each stage her daughters pass through, by keeping in her heart the young girl she was, not so very long ago.