Today was my mom’s retirement reception at Baylor. It’s funny how much of my childhood revolved around that hospital considering both my parents, as well as extended family, work there.

I left work early this afternoon so I could meet my parents at their house and then just ride with them to the reception. I hardly ever travel along I-30 at least as a passenger, but I have distinct memories of doing just that as a child when my parents “traded off” in the middle of the day. My dad would take me to the lab just as my mom would be leaving and then I’d just go home with her.

I loved days when I got to go with my dad to Baylor. It was always a special excursion for me mostly because when I did, they would take me around the lab and all their coworkers would dote over me and tell me how cute I was

So this afternoon, sitting as a passenger with my mom and dad in front this time, I took that same journey down I-30 toward Baylor. The landscape has changed a lot, but some of the buildings along the highway remain the same–some just have different paint jobs or owners.

The reception was a lovely affair (click here for pictures). It was held on the 17th floor of the Roberts Building at Baylor’s main campus. It had a beautiful view of the city (and of the new cancer center being built one block over). They served a mile-high cheese and nut tray, fruit tray, chicken fingers, jalapeno poppers, cake and punch. Easily around 50 people were there to send mom their well wishes.

They presented her with a certificate, a little token, as well as a signed picture frame from everyone in the lab. Mom gave a little speech thanking everyone for their friendship and support. I was touched, but not surprised, by how many people were there to celebrate with my mom.

And it was funny how so many of them knew who her children were. Denise, one of my mom’s coworkers who had known her since my mom was pregnant with me, told me stories of how I would keep mom up late at night. Like one night I wouldn’t go to sleep and all I wanted to do was to be pushed around in my stroller. So like any good mom would, she buckled me in and walked me around the dining room and the hallways in the middle of the night until I fell asleep. And how years later when I was 16 and my nephew Joshua was born, mom told Denise how she was worried I was jealous of Joshua because he and I were constantly bickering (uh, YEAH. THAT KID TOOK MY SPOT NEXT TO MY MOM AT THE DINNER TABLE). “They spoiled you so bad,” Denise said. I laughed.

In the end, I got to see another side of my parents, specifically my mom, through the eyes of her peers. It was a side I’d never seen before, one that wasn’t just a mom telling me to pick up my dirty laundry or eat my vegetables. It was a woman who enjoyed her job and the people she worked with, and who showed it by being the most valuable asset to her coworkers and her organization.

Congratulations, Mom, on making it 33 years. You’ve carved a path for others to follow. Now it’s time to carve a path for yourself!