Today is Mother's Day!! A day to celebrate mothers and all the million things they do for us. Let's be honest, we literally would not be here without them. I've tried to focus on all the many mothers in my life in the past but today I want to specially focus on my very own gem of a mother. She is so much to me and this post is all about that.
(we've been going through pictures lately so there's a whole bunch for your appreciation :D )
The above picture is at the very beginning of my mom being a mom. That's me under all those stripes! Anyways, this isn't about me. My mom is my world. She brought me into this one. And while there are others that have affected who I am today and what I'm all about, I wouldn't be half the person I am without her. She's strong and because of that I am stronger than I otherwise would be.
This is just after I nearly killed my mother! That's what I did to thank her for the gift of life. Some thanks right? Well that's just it. My mother is resilient. Giving birth to the big, fat cow baby that I was is just the tip of the iceberg. She's been through a million and one different things be they medical, financial, spiritual, mental, physical... Yeah. She walks with the world on her shoulders, even when she doesn't have to and when it just about crushes her. She always walks on with that weight like it's no big.
DISNEY LAND!!! I love me some Disney and it's probably partially at least because of my mother. My mother instilled a wonderful sense of what's right and what's fantastic and what's beautiful and what's worth appreciating in this world (like Disney!). We learn by example, they say. I can think of no better example to learn from than that of my mother. My wonderful, fantastic, beautiful mother that is worth appreciating and usually if not always right.
This is a picture of my two younger sisters and I with our mother in my great-grandmother's backyard. (Take a couple seconds to digest the placement of that whole sentence... yeah sorry... haha.) My mother is a mommy. She stayed home and took care of my sisters and I. She kissed booboos and washed scrapes. She is the best at holding back your hair while you puke. And no one (I really mean NO ONE) can do a french braid as tight as her. That braid would stay in there until your hair fell out from old age if she wished it. She was and is a mommy. And she's awesome at it.
This picture is me and my mom inside the scariest Ferris wheel type thing I have ever had the misfortune to be upon. You can't see it in this picture but we are bracing ourselves against the swing of the basket and hoping we make it back to ground safely. My mom is a protector. You know how people say that every mother has that Mama Bear instinct lying dormant within them and you better not mess with her cubs? Well that's my mom. I know she's in my corner. She's got my back. I can count on her to be there and help me fight my battles. She will take on anyone that hurts me or my sisters and I fear for the transgressor's life and safety.
See those braces? Yikes! My mom is the one who took me to the orthodontist appointments and doctors appointments. Yes, she's a chauffeur when called upon but she's more than that. My mom is someone I can count on. I already mentioned that I know I'll always have my mom in my corner. This is kind of an extension of that. She always tells the three of us that home is our soft place to and that won't ever change. Even when we go away to school or go get married or anything like that, Mom's arms will forever be outstretched and ready to catch us if/when we fall.
(the braces are off!!) This picture is from a church activity. That was our car that we designed and "raced." Ours was the best, of course. Even though I have no memory of how the race thing itself actually went. My mom is a friend to me. She knows how to be a parent of course and I know where that line is between parent and friend but as I grow older, our conversations grow more conversational and less lecture (although there are those too every so often..)
This is a picture from a family photo shoot and probably one of my favorite more recent pictures of the two of us. Don't we look nice? My mom is happy. Sometimes, this is harder than others. But that goes for everyone. I already told you she carries the world on her shoulders but did I mention that she does so with a smile on her face? She taught me how to smile even when I don't feel like it. I remember her saying sometimes the best way to get happy is to fake it until you make it. We've been through a lot as a family and she's helped us all to soldier on and smile as we go. She's helped us to find those things to laugh at in times where it seems there's nothing but darkness surrounding. She is a beacon with her ever shining smile.
I know, you're thinking "Hey! You couldn't find any more recent pictures of you and your mother? This is like two years old!" I know, I know. We'll work on getting some pictures while I'm home from school this summer. But until then this picture will suffice for my purposes. My mom is my mom and that's the best thing she could ever be. She takes care of me. She holds me when I'm sad or sick. She lifts me up when I've fallen. She is my soft place to land. She knows me like no one else. I can always count on her. She is strong. She is brave. She is resilient. She is beautiful. She is my mom. And for that, I love her.
