A little off topic....

Thanksgiving came and went with very few tears. The first big holiday as a single girl was not as bad as I thought it would be. The Blue Haired boy and I enjoyed a feast prepared by yours truly. As is the custom in my family, I cooked enough food for 10 people even though there were only two. After we toasted to our new beginning and then toasted to being not just mother and son but to actually being friends, we ate and ate and drank more wine, and ate! We then toasted to food and wine and our own awesomeness. An all-around great day. The Blue Haired Boy promptly fell into a food coma while I tidied up. By the time the last dish was put away I was ready to get out of the house.

Blue Haired Boy and I hopped into my sporty and fuel efficient Focus and headed for the watering hole. We stopped, had a beer and then wandered on over to the cigar/sports bar. It was very quiet so we were able to grab a table on the sidewalk to people watch and talk. Blue Haired Boy was feeling a little down because some bitch broke his heart. I, being the caring mother that I am, offered to give the girl a smack down! This made him smile and when he smiles, I smile. We commenced with the people watching and noticed a guy with a camera from the local news. He was doing a "man in the street" report and was asking people what they are thankful for. Blue Haired Boy proceeded to say the following: "I am thankful for beer, my mom and shorts in November". Although I thought that I should have at the top of his thankful list, at least I came before the shorts.

A couple of evenings later Blue Haired Boy went to a club for a concert. Since I knew there would be drinking involved I suggested that he either call me or take a cab home. Later that evening I heard him come in. When I went to talk to him I noticed his face....It was a mess!! I asked what happened and he told me he was jumped by four guys. They surrounded him and attacked. He said that he did manage to get in a punch or two but knew he was overwhelmed. Had it not been for a brave passerby, he probably would have beaten into unconsciousness. I was stunned. I was terrified. I was angry!!

Some assholes hurt my boy! How dare they lay their hands on him! My son is one of the smartest, funniest and kindest people I know and to know that he was hurt physically and emotionally was almost too much to handle. I cleaned him off as best I could given the hyper agitated state he was in, made him something to eat (it's an Italian thing) and sent him to bed.

Between checking on him every 20 minutes and dealing with the sickness in my heart, I slept very little. He may be 23 years old but he is still my baby. He has always had the ability to make me scream with laughter, swell with pride and bring me to tears with his amazing clarity on life. When he was little, I was able to fix everything with a hug, a kiss and a bandage. That will not work this time.

A fightin' stance

Ever since my son unexpectedly found himself in Southwest Florida he has overcome so many obstacles. He had to start his life over after a particularly cruel "dumping" by a former girlfriend. He found himself in a place where he had no friends, no job and little hope. Somehow he picked himself up and found a fantastic job. Through that job he has made great friends. He taught himself to play bass. He made his hair crazy colors, got a tattoo and some crazy piercings and became not the person he was before he moved here but a smarter, happier version of his former self. He radiated confidence in a way I had never seen before and it brought me such great joy to see the calmness in his face.

Happy at last!

Workin' hard

I don't why, but I feel like a taco!

The next Clapton??

I know his wounds will heal and the physical pain will go away. I only hope that with the love of his mom and his great group of friends he will be able to be the happy person he worked so hard to be.

Blue Haired Boy, I love you with all of my being. You are my son, my friend and my inspiration. You held me up when I could barely stand and let me know that everything WILL be okay again - and you were right. I will do the same for you.....

Love,

Mom