A Top Ten Tribute To My (NOT) Wicked Stepmother

In honor of Jeanie’s birthday yesterday, here are my top ten favorite things about her:

10. She only tried to make me eat liver once.

9. She taught me how to clean a bathroom. I hated those job cards we had but I learned how to keep house.

8. She taught my friends and me how to eat a Cornish Game Hen prior to our chorus banquet so that we wouldn’t make too much of a mess.

7. She put up with our inappropriate dinner time conversations and shenanigans. The real victory was when she finally joined in!

6. She has a wonderful sense of humor (or she wouldn’t have been able to do #7).

5. She married and stayed with my dad in spite of the fact that he had three teenagers living with him. (I think that #6 may have helped her in this!)

4. She decided that she needed to go back to school to become a Vet Tech – even though she was over 60, and no one would have criticized if she had chosen to relax instead. She’s never been one to sit still, though, and she’s always looked to learn more about whatever she’s interested in.

3. She provided me with the best example of how to be a gracious hostess. No guest came into our house without being treated like the most important person in the world.

2. She knows me so well. I was going through a particularly bad time in my life, and Jeanie knew something was wrong. Rather than asking me outright, she set out snacks and glasses of wine and waited for me to tell her and Dad what was going on. That conversation was so important to me, and the support and love she (and Dad) provided still warms my heart.

And my favorite thing about Jeanie is:

1. When she introduces me, she says “this is our daughter Maryann.” Once we got past the rough patch of the first couple of years, she’s always been my parent (I’m lucky enough to have three!) and I’ve always been her child.
Jeanie’s existence in my life has been a blessing, and I’m especially thankful for her.

Happy Birthday Jeanie – I love you!