~Sunday Stew - July 24th, 2011~

Sunday Stew is a Weekly Meme hosted at Books Devoured

 

 

 

 

Wishing a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beautiful MOTHER :)

Bookmark of the Week

I have been using this Post-It note, written beautifully by and sent to me, by Melissa from The Feminist Texican [Reads]. Darling Melissa, bless her magnanimous heart, sent me HER ARC of "The Language of Flowers" by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. And you want to know why? Only because I was going crazy over it, and gushing all over the internet about how badly I wanted to read it! Our book blogging community reminds me, EVERY DANG DAY, that there are wonderful and immensely generous people all around us - which makes the world seem a lot less bleaker (Thank God!). I just want to take this opportunity to thank her from the bottom of my heart, for being so very generous, kind and thoughtful. And since the book's arrived, I've been using this beautifully penned post-it note as my bookmark (although I haven't really gotten into "The Language of Flowers" yet, because I wanted to make sure I began reading it when I could give it all my time!). So, thank you Melissa...I <3 YOU!!! :)

Around The Web:

~Mega Awesome Giveaway - Win a Kindle~

As you all may very well know, today is my mother's BIRTHDAY. Day before yesterday, it was both my parents' WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. Also, I recently noticed that I'd been nearing 200 Followers - and it all makes me so very happy. I know I had to celebrate this momentous occasion in an EPIC manner, so I decided to have a giveaway. As you all know, my first giveaway was inspired by my best friend's birthday (in April), so it only made sense that this giveaway would be inspired by my parents. 

Both my parents strove really hard to educate me, provide to me all the opportunities that they could afford (and some they probably could not), and made me the person I am today. Most people are astounded by my need to read before I go to bed, even if it is merely one single page, or just a few lines. What most people don't know, however, is that I acquired this habit through my mother. To this day, she grabs a book (nowadays, mostly women's magazines) and reads a little before she turns the lights out. So it only made sense for the prize to be "reading" related. Also, some of you may not know this, but I don't have an e-reader. I won a Nook a little while ago, and donated it for charity. Then, I won this Kindle, and I just wasn't sure if I would use it or sell it for charity (I could always read those books on my computer; although staring at the screen perpetually is, literally, a headache). But when this giveaway came around, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my Kindle - I wanted to do a giveaway so that I could share it with YOU!

All you people who have loved me, and supported me, shown me kindness, respect and encouragement - all this, my blog, is possible because of YOU! So I thought, why not give one of you the chance to win this e-reader...so here it is, just click on the banner above, and it'll take you to the giveaway post. Make sure to enter, pass the info along, etc. Wishing you ALL the BEST OF LUCK!!!

Around Me:

 My mother, who's known amongst her peers, family as being impeccably dressed and "matched" to PERFECTION!

From around 3 years ago - I'd just returned from Med. School

I know, I know...I've overdone the whole "it's my Mom's birthday" thing - but I cannot even begin to emphasize what my mother means to me. She is literally my ROCK, my ANCHOR, the wind beneath my wings...so I thought I'd share with you guys, something that I wrote for a Mother's Day special a few years ago:

They say mothers are God’s gift to mankind. That they are angels without wings. This is not true, because ladies and gentlemen, I think I see my mother’s wings. To me, she is the ultimate angel. As far back as it runs my memory holds my mother being an enchantingly positive person. Full of mirth, even amidst the most difficult hardships of life, I’ve seen her exude love & warmth. Losing her father when young, she helped her mother raise her siblings, & is one of the most self-sacrificing people I know. Yet, I’ve never heard her complain of her childhood & strove to make my childhood a happy one. Her sacrifices didn’t end there, literally working day & night, she supported me through medical school. Teaching for more than 20 yrs now, she is one of the most engaging & involved elementary school teachers I know. Invested in the well-being of each of her students, I’ve seen her stay up late at night devising lesson plans & activities for her class. Even during her summers, I've seen her stand in line in the heat so that she can get great deals on school supplies for her students. Her kindness is not limited to her disciples; it extends to her colleagues as well. Be it helping them with their lesson plans, guiding a new teacher, encouraging them,& even being there for them outside of work-she does it all. She’s my best friend, an unbelievably understanding mother. She taught me that elegance & grace is a woman's asset. That looks matter less than how you treat others. My favorite lesson from her has been that in life people are like walls & your behavior towards them, like a ball. What you throw at them is likely to bounce back-so be careful what you release into the world, for it will inevitably find its way back to you. She’s the glue that holds our family together. Her humor, her positivity, her incandescence are all part of her beauty. To me, my mother is the most beautiful woman on the face of this planet and she inspires me to live beautifully too. My mother is the penumbra of inspiration & positivity in my life.

My dad and I are taking her out for lunch today, and we're going to celebrate as a family. I leave you with the hope and the prayer that may your life FOREVER have the cool shade of a Mother's love. For those of you who may have lost their mothers, I wish and pray that you always feel their love, and that their absence never detracts from your love for them, and doesn't make you forget the love that they had for you. And above all, for all of you who ARE mothers yourselves, bless you and bless your heart. You may not fully understand this, but YOU are the most important being in your child's life...and not a million thank yous would be enough to truly appreciate all that you do, and all that you are! I love you ALL :)

Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this week's ~Sunday Stew~, I definitely enjoyed writing it. With this, I conclude this week's Sunday Stew post! Thank you for reading, feel free to leave me any comments/feedback you may like. I wish you a blessed rest of the week, and that you'll continue to visit! :)