35 is a lot less scary because I know I have people like you three in the boat with me.
You are by turns competent, elegant, sentimental, loving, hilarious, and honest. You keep me laughing and remind me, when the melancholy pulls too hard, of the great good that there is in life.
We have learned together how to be mothers. I love your children absolutely and know you would take care of mine no matter what. I am looking forward to talking to each of you every single day of the next 35 years.
A few things I have learned in the school of C, E, and H:
- how to mix a Southside
- what a “go cup” is (and the importance of one)
- how to roast a chicken
- how to pee in a parking lot
- the value of taking children’s animals away as a discipline technique
- that a bra helps me out more than my old tank tops
- how to make turkey tetrazzini
- that acting happy can make you feel happy
- that a snack solves most problems
- to wear sunscreen and big straw hats
- that it’s possible to drive from New York to Brookline in 3 hours
- how I want my house to look
- that I will never be good at card games
- that sometimes I don’t need to worry so much
- about the Bergdorf’s shoe sale
- that sometimes the bathroom is just too far away
- that my children really are terrible eaters
- that Whitesnake blaring from a minivan makes total sense
- that sometimes you just show up, no matter what
- that balloons make a party
- that baptism, not confirmation, is the Episcopalian church access pass to communion
- that zinnias can be both cheerful and sophisticated
- what true style is
- that I am not crazy, and that I will never be alone
Thank you for being the people who make my life sparkly. I love you.