Principal or Principle?: My mom....

Mom's 29th birthday (repeated for our pleasure) with
Bob, Anthony, Me, Patty and Bean!

I love my mom! We all love our moms! Well, most of us do! My mom just survived another visit with me and had a good time. I drag the poor woman all over creation and force her into humiliating situations when she's here. For example, The Boys and Girls Club Celebrity Luncheon that I unfortunately am forever tied to as a performer along with the Chief of Police, various city dignitaries and other

school employees (all male). We do a little dance, get introduced and do another little dance. Then, it's out into the crowd to earn our dinner! I always insist that the mayor should NOT introduce my mother out in the crowd but he must forget and he always does. Along with a comment like
"Who'd want to take credit for that?!"

BTW-I had $100 bucks tucked in my... er ...given to me by the crowd at this year's event. We made nearly $15K that day.

B&G '05

Each year, after attending, she insists she'll never do again that she's gotten the idea. But once again, for the third time, she returned to support me in the show. That's her way. She's

supportive in a quiet, refined, way. Well, as quiet and refined as this event can be. She still tells me it's almost as crazy and twisted as I am!! Hey, she's not that accepting. But both my parents were this way in raising us. They were there for us when we needed but they were going to make us learn to support ourselves, too! My dad passed in 1999. There are still days that something happens or some politician says something stupid and I think "I can't wait to hear what Dad'll say about that!"

B&G '08

The Whole Fam Damily '99

While it couldn't have been easy raising my brother, Chris, and me in conservative Nebraska, they told us to think for ourselves, be true to what we believed and to never vote Republican (I'm kidding on that last part...sort of). They have lived with the consequences! Both of my parents were there for me even when I knew they didn't agree with my choices or plain old disapproved! I always knew where they stood on an issue and that was on my side. Chris and I were so different in temperament, interests and outlook that it must have made for some very schizophrenic parenting decisions. But it worked since we're both loving and caring people, although my brother takes it too far at times.

My mom, who is older than you think and has forbidden me from telling, still works full time for the Rotary Club and loves it. She's survived my dad's bouts with cancer three times and was with him when he died. She's beat back lung cancer twice now herself! She's a survivor.

She's busy, got a wide circle of friends and admirers as did my dad. Many of my friends stick with me only in order to keep in contact with her. She's even gotten love letters from my exes at Christmas... "It's odd! Just so odd!" As kids, my brother and I used to hate walking into a restaurant with them because my dad and then, later, my mom and dad would get stopped, called over to tables, chatted up, etc. We thought we'd never get to eat. I had a flashback of that this year when Mom and I attended a formal dress ball when I went home for Christmas. Of course, several people knew her from Rotary. I had one man tell me he loved my mother. I politely agreed and he vigorously nodded his head and repeated "I've loved your mother for 30 years!" I replied with "I've loved her for 48 years!"

I think when you meet her, you'll understand.