Last year for my Mom's birthday, I gave her a manicure & pedicure & we spent the day talking & remembering good times. As I held my Mom's hand in mine, gently cleaned, clipped & shaped her fingernails & then massaged them a sweet rose scented lotion, I began to think of all her hands had done for me & my family.

It was her hands that held me for the first time, fixed all my cuts & scraps, held me when I cried, hugged me when I was happy, took care of me when I was sick & molded me into the Mother I am today to my son.

It was her hands that took care of my Daddy when he had complications from diabetes & lost a leg to amputation. It was her hands that drove him to the doctor, cooked his meals, washed his clothes & read the newspaper to him when he could no longer see also from diabetes complications. Momma was there by his side through all of this until he was called home to Heaven in 1999.

It was her hands that after my Daddy's death, entered back into the work world to be able to pay off the medical debts that had been incurred during his last years of life.

Momma has always put herself second when others are in need of help. Three years ago, her brother who had suffered a stroke was left alone when his wife divorced. My Momma's hand have taken care of him since that time, putting her needs & wants on hold.

At almost 76 years old, Momma's hands are still as loving as they were when I was a child, she has the biggest heart, the sweetest smile & a gentle spirit that makes her the 2012 Mother of the Year in my book.

Momma's