tavie.com

Today is Cybermom's birthday. She died two years ago February of breast cancer. I never got to meet her in person but she'd be proud of me now because she was there for the worst of my adolescent school troubles. I wonder about her sons today and what they're feeling. I love her.

I was tired this morning but I got out of bed because I knew she'd thwap me if I didn't come in today. She's still helping.

She was so beautiful. She was a mermaid. She talked and sang like a mermaid and she had a wheelchair instead of fins, but one Halloween she had both, like Bette Midler. She showed me a picture.

She drew and wrote and sang. She was so full of ideas that sometimes she couldn't get enough of them out at once. The only other person I know now who knew her is Richard. He loves her too.

She used to say things to me like, "Don't be afraid, daughter of my heart". Can you beat that? And when she said it sometimes I wasn't afraid. Can you beat that, seriously?

Now she's Frank Doyle to my Helene Hanff. (Or, if you're cinematically-minded, she's Anthony Hopkins to my Anne Bancroft.)

She also used to say things like, "Deedeedeedeedeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Mother-mother bigthing thwap longhair bigthing if longhair bigthing no go do workstuff!"

So, I will. Bree-a-dee. I love you, Cybermom.

Why are you in Tavie's head? 9:26 AM | shower me with attention