Saturday, January 23, 2010


so glad you were born...

momma branch

dear mom,

happy birthday! my present(and card) will be a wee belated, so i thought i'd tell you why i'm so glad you were born, and all the things i love about you.

1. you are proud to be an american, and you love your country. no matter how popular or unpopular america is, or what president is in office.
2. you were a girl scout troop leader to all of your daughters, and for our community service project, had us clean margaret mitchell's grave in oakland cemetery.
3. you like junkin' just as much as i do, and you always, always find the best gems for pennies.
4. you write very dear children's stories in your down time.
5. you always have chocolate chip cookies and fritos with clam dip for me when i come to atlanta.
6. you never let mean teachers bully your children. if it meant scheduling a meeting with them, to make it pointedly clear, you would do so.
7. you've taught me "you are the company you keep", a very valuable lesson.
8. you are incredibly generous, and always put your family's needs before your own, and have done so the entire 42 years that you have been a wife and mother.
9. when i hear certain songs play, i miss you so much it makes me cry on the spot. "baby mine" from dumbo. "somewhere over the rainbow" by israel kamikawiwo'ole. and just about any carly simon, joni mitchell, lesley gore, or dusty springfield song.
10. because not only do you give the best and most thoughtful gifts, you really send AWESOME care packages to me in new york.
11. you visit our 102 grandmother, your mother-in-law, twice a week, without fail.
12. you love our sweet cocker spaniel, penny, and are just as protective of her as you are of lisa, amy, and me.
13. you and dad are pretty dang cute together, 8th grade sweethearts who will happily smooch for a photo. and two very good parents.
14. you are one of the strongest women i know, and you taught me to always pull myself up from my bootstraps, and stand up when i've fallen down.
15. you love my friends and my husband, and always make a point to make them feel loved.
16. you never complain, even when you should. even when your 25 year old daughter who never learned to drive, asks you to drive her around atlanta when she comes home from nyc...
17. you are the reason my favorite word is kind.
18. you taught me the value of writing thank you letters and expressing gratitude. that no one "deserves" anything.
19. because you raised three very similar, but very different girls, and you loved us all equally, and let us all be who we wanted to be.
20. because if you ask any one who knows lisa, amy, dad, or me, who our best friend is... we all will say you.


we love you so much mom. it's pretty awesome that we all like calling you on the phone and coming to visit you. thank you for showing me what i want to be as a wife and mother. and for being the supreme example of "character is who you are when no one is watching". in fact, my very first blog post was about you, come to think of it. YAY YOU and we are so glad you were born.

*p.s that is my mother's signature birthday phrase. i've been stealing it from her all this time.

9 comments:

Diana Brito said...

May everyone be blessed with a mother like yours and a daughter like you. Thank you for sharing your beautiful thoughts...it brought me to tears.
Di from San Francisco

Kristen said...

what a great post... your mom sounds absolutely lovely!! I do love that she had you clean Margaret Mitchell's gravestone... truly southern!
happy birthday to her <3

Clare said...

This is really sweet.
Happy birthday to your mum

That dumbo song makes me cry too.

amy merrick said...

YAY YOU, Mamma Branch! Seriously, big gb had me bewitched at first hello. Never such a humble, funny, thoughtful, kind and warm person have i ever met. It's no surprise, little gb, that you're your mamma's daughter!

hayliebird said...

I love Momma Branch so much, mostly because I know she is a great influence on the great friend and woman that you are, also I have really and truly enjoyed spending time with her in the past. You know how much I love getting to know who and what my best friends come from. Almost every time I meet a best friends mother I think that they would make good friends with my own mother- especially ginny and ginger! HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOVELY MOMMA BRANCH.
xoxo

Amy Branch said...

One correction - mom loved me best. Kidding! Very sweet post for our very sweet momacita. Wish you and Eddie were in the atl with us. Xoxo a

Jay said...

Happy belated, Momma Branch!

Ginny, I know it's your mom's day, but gosh, how sweet are you? You and your sisters are probably the best testament to her.

Kel said...

gosh, this made me tear up, Miss Ginny!!!

I surely hope little miss Chloe loves me this much!

Happy Birthday Mrs. Branch!!!

St Catherine said...

What a wonderful post! I think I might do the same for my mom next December.

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