My mom is a pretty special person and amazing lady in her own right.

For having just about every major heart procedure there is (open heart/bypass, carotid artery, angioplasty, and a pacemaker–you wonder where I get my heart from??), and for her failing sight (it is getting weaker), she is moving a little slower. But she is still moving.

In may she moved into a new house and it is very nice. I wasn;t wild about it but it has proved to be a blessing so far. (Mom knows best).

It’s always a treat when my mom, now 81, comes to Metairie. I think it is more a treat for us simply because this meek woman, who is not much of a traveler, honors us by taking the 2.5 hour trip east to New Orleans.

She doesn’t do a lot when here. She gets up, has her coffee, sits, makes conversation, enjoys getting to watch professional wrestling on TV twice during the week (she always has liked it!) and like us, awaits Marlene’s return home from work.

But what is most amazing is how my mom prays! She says rosaries throughout the day. She always prays for my family and she is always eager to include any intentions I ask her. I tell people mom is in the “praying hall of fame.”

She is an example to me in how she prays so faithfully and that she always remembers her family.

I love her very much and she has shaped much of my character by her thoughtful ways.