This is tough.........

Another Birthday
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She was born, in what I'm thinking is still, a small southwestern Georgia town. Her parents were a man that I can only say, must have been pretty decent, I have the flag that draped his coffin on my dresser. I've seen one picture of him, I also have that. A rather stern looking man, but hey, he went through the depression and the first "BIG" war, so maybe he had a right. Her mom, no one could be that short but to be of Irish descent and to be so full of love, from what I have always called the huggiest bunch of folks ever. I used to tell folks, she'd hug Charles Manson and tell him she loved him......and mean it.
Anyway, she was born with a bit of a challenge and she lost that dad of hers less than a year after her birth. I think that is where she got it.
Toughest ol' girl (boy, she'd appreciate that) I ever knew. Toughest anybody I ever knew. Her birth troubles left her with a bit of a half smile. She hated that, but I liked it. She never thought much of her looks, but I feel that the youngest pic of her, looks alot like the last pic of her, as they say, "bettern decent".
She had a boy that was the apple of her eye and was always her favorite and rightly so, caused her much less concern than maybe the others. Lots like her and that's a good thing.
Then came another challenge.......me. Hard and sometimes cold, always difficult. Went though the largest military cargo plane on earth once and she told the guide, "give that boy a screwdriver and a pair of pliars and this thing will be completely tore down tomorrow." But there was a time when this ol' boy would drop by and take her to eat. Once in one of her favorite places to eat, where she knew everybody in the place, we had lunch. I had chicken fried steak with potatoes and Louisiana hot sauce on top. She asked me if it was hot and I said, nah, I just like the taste. Quick a lightening her finger was in my gravy and back into her mouth. Then her face got red and she was telling everybody, "this boy lied to me, why did you lie to me?" I will never forget that. There is a scene in one of my favorite Christmas movies. After the kid has a bit of a trying day, the mom walks by him sitting at the table and brushes her hand across his arm. I regret, that for whatever reason, that we didn't have that.
Then she had a daughter, oh man a good kid, but not exactly a lady (sorry sis, haha). She wasn't quite the outgoing type who would set you to worrying though and can tell her own stories.
Then she lost a handsome little man and we almost lost her. But at the height of her misery, we all received quite the wonderful surprise. This little girl completed the family. She is still the baby, these years later, and much the image and deportment of her mom.
Later in life she would have other challenges, cancer, stroke. I will never forget standing at the head of her bed in the emergency room when the doc raised the sheet from the foot and exclaimed, "wow, you got anything left!" The scars of a lifetime of struggle.
I was there her last night on earth. And as usual, we fought all night. I didn't know what she was saying, but I do know, she meant it. She wore me out......one last time. Still a fighter after all she had been through.
I tried to keep this as short as possible, how can you skip everything? Merely touched on some of the notable parts. I know she never liked birthdays, used to fuss if anybody said anything. But after a life of taking everything that was thrown at her and living until she was ready to go, I have to say........Happy Birthday Mom! The strongest person I ever knew, and thanks for..............everything.
Love and miss you always.