Anonymous Took my mom out for dinner last night. Her birthday. Nice restaurant. She's 68. Hasn't had an easy life. We're looking at menus. She keeps checking prices. Picking cheaper things. "Mom, it's your birthday. Order whatever you want." "I know, honey. But the salmon is $34. I don't need salmon." This broke my heart. My whole childhood, she went without so I could have things. Now she's still doing it. Waiter came over. I ordered first. "I'll have the steak. And my mom will have the salmon. And the lobster bisque to start. And bring us your best bottle of wine under $100." My mom's face. She looked scared. "Honey, that's too much" "Mom. You raised me on $30,000 a year. You never bought yourself anything. You wore the same coat for 15 years so I could have new shoes. Tonight, you're having salmon. And lobster soup. And wine. And I don't want to hear another word about prices." She started crying at the table. The waiter came back with the wine. Poured it. Walked away. My mom raised her glass. "You didn't have to do this." "Yeah, I did. You spent 20 years making sure I never went without. This is just one dinner. I owe you about 7,000 more." The bill came. $340. I paid it without looking twice. My mom hugged me in the parking lot. "This was the best birthday I've ever had." Not because of the salmon. Not because of the wine. Because for one night, I got to give her what she spent a lifetime giving me: the feeling of being worth it. 🤍 PS,Happy international Women's Day to all women