I'd Rather Laugh With The Sinners Than Cry With The Saints, The Sinners Are Much More Fun

Today my wonderful mother turns...well, I'm not allowed to say what age, but it's her birthday nonetheless. I credit my mom for so many things; raising three relatively decent children, always encouraging us to follow our passions, teaching us that humor will get you through just about anything, and teaching us that it is possible to still love a person even if you don't like or approve of what they're doing to themselves. I put this lady through a lot and I'm very grateful that she is who she is. We had some rough times growing up but I don't remember many of the bad times because there was always humor to get us through. There was also always music. My father was a musician who could play several instruments and cover just about any song handily, and my mom has been a huge music fan since she was a child. Grandma used to get on her about spending so much time and money on records (RECORDS!) but mom didn't care. She's a huge Beatles fan (even "met" them as a child, long story) and I remember knowing who they were before I could even walk. Like my sister and I, she loves all kinds of genres and exposed us to many of them. (Unlike my sister and I, she HATES rap but you can't win 'em all I guess.) It's because of her that I have such a wide variety of musical tastes. This is one of her favorite songs and she says it reminds her of me. Now, it also reminds me of her. If you don't like at least one Billy Joel song, your life is sorely lacking.