I hope that each of you who are as lucky as I am, to have the GREATEST Mom in the world, took the time on Sunday to say so to your own... 

Years ago, when it was painfully obvious that my passion for model airplanes had turned into an even bigger passion for the real thing (hence the reason for those mysterious buzz-jobs my neighborhood experienced throughout my high school years), my Mom was faced with a tricky problem. Flying scared the absolute hell out of her.

Her Father, a Doctor, had taken the family to an airshow (while she was much younger), in which a military parachutist perished in an accident... and my Grandfather had the sad job of pronouncing the poor fellow dead... a scene she witnessed. It was a tough memory to get over and resulted in her life-long fear of flying.

So, naturally, her first-born develops a massive addiction to this flying bug... as God has a sense of humor about things like that. Surprisingly, as much as it scared her, she didn't try to quash my passion for flying. More amazing; in an effort to finally break with her fear of this aviation thing, and in an attempt to understand my interest, my Mom (still with a raging fear of flying) took some flying lessons... just so that she could better relate to that crazy son of hers.

If that's not a Mother's love... what is?

It's been quite a few years since then... and in that time, she's managed to venture to airshows in which I was performing, read way too many of my aviation articles and books, and kept up with enough of the technology to understand what I was babbling on about (over and over again). In a truly equal partnership with my Pop, she raised seven kids, held elected office, earned a degree, and gave my family an example of what a Mom really should be... not to mention setting a stirring example of what a truly amazing woman can do when she sets herself to it. She is a brilliant woman, totally dedicated to her family and her marriage, and possibly the most liberated woman I have ever met. I'm damned proud to be her son...

So... to those of you, who like me, have good reason to believe that their Moms are the best in the world, I toast your good fortune and wish your Moms (especially mine) a very Happy Mother's Day. -- J.R. Campbell, ANN E-I-C

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