Thursday, May 7, 2009 at 9:04pm
It's my mom's 63rd birthday today. I was busy this afternoon getting her stuff ready for later on: Found a cake, flowers, balloons, putting the finishing touches on a necklace I made for her using her favorite color combination and wrapping it, writing out her card.
Most importantly, she received a happy birthday phone call this morning from my Alex, her estranged grandson, at the behest of his father. I think that's what made her day, that phone call. She even got a clear and certain "I love you" out of it.
I know she's felt utterly betrayed by Alex and his father. She'd bent over backwards to give Alfi financial and emotional support. She adored (still does) Alex in her quiet, unassuming way, took him to movies, drew with him, read with him, did her best to ease the pain of divorce in his so-tender little-boy heart. And Alex loved her very much, in return.
Though it's clear that Alfi is behind the words Alex has uttered against his grandparents, the pain and sense of betrayal is very real, and no less than my own. Walking through my own pain, I sometimes lose sight of my mother's. That phone call--that I Love You--gave her a much-needed and well-deserved sense of validation, much more than any card, cake, flowers, or handmade gift ever could.
Happy Birthday, Mom! I Love You, too!
