Ellen Is Eighty

Other people call her Ellen. I call her Mom. She just turned eighty. What better occasion for a surprise birthday party? Most folks have to wait until they're dead before their family and friends gather to say wonderful things about them. To me, that seems a tad late.
My mother is an amazing person. Everyone who knows her says so. I'll start with the obvious---she treats everyone with tremendous dignity and respect. Her personal dignity would blow the doors off the bell-shaped curve (pardon the metaphor mixing). She looks as dignified and lovely as she acts.
She never swears. Unlike some of the "never swear" people, she is self-effacing, good humored and best of all, generally quite tolerant of those whose verbal style includes the liberal sprinkling of off-color language. Which is a good thing since none of the other members of our family hold back---much---in her serene presence.
Mom was a high school teacher for over thirty years. She was one of those rare teachers who was loved and admired by her students. Mom was an excellent pianist, the only female in a touring big band. In her retirement, she works tirelessly for community organizations that provide clothing, support and educational opportunities for the needy. I can't imagine a more perfect mother.
Unlike many surprise parties, this one actually succeeded in surprising the guest of honor, big time. I learned several interesting new things about Mom during the many tributes given in her honor. For example, I learned she had a close-up encounter with her childhood idle, Shirley Temple, when she was 7 years old.
I learned that my dad decided that he wanted to marry her on their second date. Funny thing---Mom didn't know this either until the surprise party and they have been happily married, and in good communication with one another, for almost sixty years.
I learned that my dad, a WW2 vet and a rugged, handsome, big college athlete, didn't attempt so much as a kiss until they had dated many times (seemingly to the surprise and disappointment of my mother---though I wasn't inclined to explore specifics).
The night's entertainment was capped off with a new song I wrote for the occasion entitled "Ellen Is Eighty". In my songwriting, I try to avoid schmaltz at all costs. Songs like "Wonderful Tonight" make me cringe because, well, I just find the schmaltziness overbearing even though I am certainly a sentimental guy at heart.
For the verses and the bridge of "Ellen Is Eighty", I included funny biographical details spanning her life but for the chorus I couldn't help myself---schmaltz reigned supreme. And why not? There's a time and place for opening up and in that perfect context, I held nothing back.
Mom says that her surprise party was the best birthday of her long life and I must say that her memory is well-intact, impressively so. Better than that, before her birthday she insisted that there be no party because she didn't want people to know she had reached that age. Now she says she feels great about it. I think her 80th birthday was the best birthday of my life too.