Happy Birthday Baby

In about twenty minutes, Justin's birthday will be over. It has been a good day - and even though it was a lazy one, we had a nice outing to see V for Vendetta.

Last night, driving home from Chris's house, NPR had a special about pivotal moments in shows.

And the scene from Man of La Mancha came on the radio....and I was reduced to tears.

I remember clearly the moment...the same moment that transpires in the movie and the emotion of the scene so nearly identical, that I cry every time. Don Quixote professes his love to Dulcinea, tells her that she is the lady for whom he has fought all his battles. She looks at him and asks what he thinks he sees. Can he not see that she is the town whore, and not the lady her perceives her to be? She says that she is trash, that she is unolveable - that she feels like nothing. Don Quixote looks her in the eye, and says : not to me.

There was a moment, when my outside was still functioning, but my soul was hurt and bleeding. Justin took my face in his hands and in words too precious to repeat, he told me that despite what others had seen, or how others had treated me, I was deserving of someone to love me. I was in the midst of my third divorce - third - three men offered to marry me and then once they were married to me, couldn't wait to get loose of me. Apparently he didn't see the same thing I did. I lowered my eyes - not too many men on the market for overweight mothers of three kids - and I felt like nothing, And he said: not to me.

We all have our faults, we all have our bad days. But for the gift of someone who actually gets me - and loves me anyway, I am eternally greatful. Thank you baby - for believing in me when I could not. Happy birthday.


PS: the perfect gift for a horror movie buff: 50 classic horror films on a 14 DVD set accompanied by a 50 movie Sci Fi pack. B movies - here we come.