Happy Birthday Mom!

One year I came up with a birthday gift idea for my Mom, “homemade” gift certificate. My idea was to purchase a large poster board, design it to look like a gift certificate and tape twenty one-dollar bills on the border. It’s all I had, and it wasn’t just a “card” since I gave those to her many times before but a universal gift certificate, or so I convinced myself. I shared the idea with my brother and sisters, and with my twenty dollars we were able to come up with $100! That year her birthday also coincided with the Superbowl so my Dad surprised her with a party. He worked hard too, preparing different dishes for everyone each quarter, half-time and at the end of the game. Good times, good memories.

My Mom has taught me so much, and it’s all finally make sense to me. The picture was taken in 2005 my Mom in the center holding my niece Taimane, my older sister Mamo, NEENZ, my younger sister Kanoe and her daughter Maiyah.