On the drive to Atlanta this weekend, I was reminded of the time I was flying from Atlanta to Louisville and experienced terrible turbulence. When our plane suddenly dropped, the first thought that came to my mind was wanting my mother.

When the plane finally landed, my mother and stepfather greeted me as I hurried off the plane. I told her about the terrible turbulence and, like a child, wishing that she were there to hold and comfort me. She smiled and told me that when people are scared, they think about the people who are most important to them. She was right.

When I'm scared, I think about her. When I'm happy, I think about her. Not a moment goes by when I don't think about her. In my dreams, I call upon her to be with me, knowing that she can't be there when I'm awake.

Happy birthday, Mom. I love you.Posted by Nattie Hattie at 1:08 PM

A while ago I posted a list of my favorite songs to sing in the car. Here's a new list: songs that make me weep like a baby when I listen to them:

1. "Hallelujah" - The Jeff Buckley version. With all due respect to Leonard Cohen, Buckley recorded the definitive version during his tragically brief career.

2. "Just One Smile" - Dusty Springfield

3. "In A Manner of Speaking" - Martin Gore

4. "All I Want Is You" - U2. I don't care if even the most die-hard U2 fans dislike "Rattle and Hum"--I love this song.

5. "(What Did I Do To Be So) Black and Blue" - Billie Holiday

6. "Crazy" - Patsy Cline

7. "Michelangelo" - Emmylou Harris

8. "Black Boys on Mopeds" - Sinead O'Connor

9. "We Float" - PJ Harvey

10. "Don't Worry Baby" - The Beach Boys. I know, this seems too upbeat to be a tearjerker, but the beautiful vocal harmonies, especially the yearning in Brian Wilson's voice, simply reduce me to tears.

11. "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" - The Smiths. It's sacrilege for a diehard Smiths fan like myself to admit that "Strangeways, Here We Come" is my least favorite Smiths' CD. This is the one song from the CD I adore.Posted by Nattie Hattie at 11:55 AM