So when I researched Leap Day/Year... this is what I found:
Leap Years are needed to keep our calendar in alignment with the Earth's revolutions around the sun. It takes the Earth approximately 365.242199 days (a tropical year) to circle once around the Sun. If we didn't add a day on February 29 nearly every 4 years, we would lose almost six hours every year. After only 100 years, our calendar would be off by approximately 24 days!
Interesting isn't it. Well to keep it simple - Leap Year means something more to me... its my mom's birthday. Yep my mom was born on February 29th. So I went over today with the kids to celebrate with her together with my aunts and family.
I have an amazing woman as my mom. We may not have had the greatest relationship. I always felt there was something there.. and then when I hit 15 I let a relationship come between us and my family... It was a very very hard time. But little by little we started anew and we have come a long way... and still have a long way to go - but God is soooo good, I can praise Him because today we are not where we were years ago.
During that "time" I didn't understand much of what was going on in my life and why my mom was the was she was. I spent a long time pointing the finger at her. But now that I've "grown" up and have children of my own - one of them being a "mini me"... I can say WOW... what a woman.
My mom is from the Dominican Republic... she came here when she was 19... fell in love with my dad and had a family... (in a nutshell)... she was not what would be considered an educated woman, she was not fluent in English, but she was a HOMEMAKER... with time we were able to see that a piece of paper did not determine your education as she taught us and helped us with our homework (in her way - but it worked), she made sure that she instilled in us those basic principles that many parents today don't even think twice about. My mom showed us through her actions about love, caring, being there for others. She taught us about believing is something GREATER and the list can go on and on.
There were many other things that she taught us that maybe I didn't understand, agree with, want to be taught, or felt that I needed to learn from her. But one thing that I did learn was that when my mom left the hospital with each one of us no one handed her a how to raise your child manual... there was no special book, she was without Oprah or Dr. Phil... without all those How To books... She raised us her way and today I can say we are three incredible women. And.... on top of wearing countless hats - she was a babysitter - and she made such an impression in the lives of so many children and families.
I still have so much to learn about my mom, so much to discover. There is so much that I don't know or understand about the woman who is my mom... but one thing that I do know is that in her own special way, she does love me... and she has taught me so much. Thank you for being such a wonderful woman... and incredible mom. And yes... in my own special way - I love her too.. more than she will ever know... Feliz Cumpleanos Mami!!!
