The Birthday Message from Mom

Lori Renn,
Wellington, Florida
October 4, 2013

My mother passed away in 1983 at the age of 51. From the time I had left home she made a point of always calling me on my birthday. Of course it wasn't during the day like most people would do. She would call at 3am in the morning. Every year it would start like this, "At this time, years ago you woke me up (she is referring to going into labor with me) so I thought I'd wake you up. Happy Birthday!" My mother had a great sense of humor.

In the early years after she passed away, I missed those 3:00 am phone calls. I often thought if I could only hear her voice one more time.

It was probably ten years after she died when this next event took place. My mother-in-law, Liz was visiting from Mexico. She was staying in our son's room. It was the night before my Birthday. My husband who wakes up if he hears a pin drop, fell asleep on the couch. By the way there was a phone on the wall not two feet from his head.

After chatting with Liz I went to sleep. Across the room was an illuminated alarm clock with bright red numbers. I fell sound asleep. Sure enough in the middle of the night I awoke to the sound of the phone ringing. I looked at the clock, 3:00 am. I picked up the phone.

The ringing phone had also roused Liz. I said hello but all I could hear was a cracking sound. You know the sound you hear when it's a bad connection. I kept saying hello. I said, "Liz, do you hear this?" Her answer was yes. Once again I said 'Hello. Who's there? Through the phone in a faint woman's voice I heard one word "Waterloo." With that, it stopped.

The next morning I again asked Liz if she heard it and she replied 'Yes". My husband asked what we were talking about, and we replied "The telephone call at 3:00 am."

My husband didn't hear the phone ring. I had picked it up on the second ring. By all rights Bob should have heard it, since one of the phones was right near his head.

Liz said, "I don't understand. That call had so much static."

I said, "did you hear the word Waterloo?" She said she had, but had no idea what it meant. With tears in my eyes I told her how my Mom always called me at 3:00 am in the morning to wish me Happy Birthday!

Was it a call from my mom? Nobody else knew that she would call me in the middle of the night to wish me Happy Birthday. By the way my mother lived at 222 Waterloo Street. To this day I know in my heart, my mother always thinks of me at 3:00 am August 21st.