"There's My Queen"

I've gone on alot of road trips with my parents in the past couple of years. We were most recently on a trip down to Dallas to spend Christmas with my sister's family. And, except for the heated debate over which mayonnaise is better - Kraft or Hellman's....it was delightful.

At a stopping point in the trip, my dad and I were waiting in the car for my mother to come out of the restaurant. It was raining and my mother was caught without an umbrella, so she placed a plastic bag over her hair. As she was walking toward the car, my dad affectionately said, "There's my queen." I wanted to cry because it was so touching, but instead I muttered something about the weather and wiped a tear from my eye.

My dad said that when he met my mother, he was so impressed by her character and her selflessness in taking care of her dying parents and her younger brother that he knew he had to marry her. And, he also quickly adds, it certainly didn't hurt that she was extremely attractive and could play the guitar.

I guess I am writing this because I feel so bad that my mother had a bad day today. But, as always, she handled herself with grace and dignity. Just like the queen that she is.