But I Smile Anyway…

It gives me great pleasure to tell you that today is a very special day.

You’ve already read about Lil Man and his birthday. And the fact that he was born on my mother’s 55th birthday – a present I couldn’t ever surpass.

Well, today is her 70th birthday!

It is a tough time to have a big birthday, especially since we aren’t even near them, and I can’t go and do a driveby celebration, but I know you will all help me to celebrate with her.

My mum is the absolute best person in the world. She is an amazing woman with the hugest heart.

Born into a family with parents who were pretty forward thinking for their time, my mum was given the best education, including an British boarding school, in Kenya, where she was born, and then university in Bath. (She even briefly knew Mary Berry!)

She married my Pops, an arranged marriage, and started a totally different life. My Pops’ family is different. A great bunch, but maybe, at that time, not so forward thinking. So Mum settled into the life of a housewife, living in an extended family with no parent’-in-law, but plenty of sisters’-in-law (Pops has a HUGE family) and kids all over the show!

They moved to England in the early 70’s and as Pops settled into his dentistry, saving to buy their own first home, Mum found a job in the Civil Service, but was never able to start it, as she fell pregnant with me! A decision was made between them both then, that mum would be a stay at home mum, to look after the family and home, while Pops was the breadwinner. That was the norm in those days.

Cue many years of being mum and house wife, as my brother entered the scene, as well as many other members of our family. Our home became a place where people started to send their kids when they were of a certain age, to continue education in Britain, from Kenya, so I had at least eight different room-mates over the years, from cousins my age, to older ones, to some who were having babies and staying with us for the support.

And Mum was there, being surrogate mum to all these different people, as well as being a fantastic mum to us.

As the houseguests lessened, and my brother and I got older, Mum took a job, helping Pops with his dental surgery, and the management.

Then us kids got married, and she became the best grandma ever, to my two children, including Lil Man, who shares her birthday, and to my brother’s two darlings.

Mum hasn’t just been key in our lives, but I have many cousins and nephews and neices, who look upon Mum, and Pops as their guides too. Her love is so great that she always welcomes all with open arms, offering love, advice and cake.

She is the best cook, a wonderful baker and she’s a sucker for hoarding things, but I’m not complaining, because mum’s squirreled away things become little treasures for us, when they are brought out! From old materials and clothes, to household gadgets, and hundreds, if not thousands of photos.

But all the time, she never stopped being the biggest support to us all. Mum has always been, and still is, my mentor, my guiding light, and someone I aspire to be like.

I’d like to take this time to ask you all to help me wish my darling mother a very happy 70th birthday! Here’s hoping I’ll be able to see her soon, so I can give her the biggest hug ❤