MOM

In honor of mothers day I want to share with you about the wonderful woman I call mom...


My mom was the youngest child of the family and at a young age she lost her father. For many years she and her mother struggled along alone. In a time when single mothers were rare. I think this time made her strong. She is one tough woman. She is beautiful and feminine, but she is not afraid of hard work and getting her hands dirty. She can do almost any work that a man can do and do it well. She is not afraid to jump up in one of their excavators and drive it around. She is tiny and petite and you may think when looking at her that she is fragile. But she has been through some tough times and come out strong. She works hard every day of her life. Growing up, I remember numerous times my dad saying, "Can't you just rest?" She was always busy. She worked long hours at a physically demanding job. She came home and cooked for us, cared for us, cleaned the house. She made a nice home for us. Looking back I always saw her busy. As a mom, I now know, she was busy making a home for us. She was busy sacrificing her energy and time and life, so we can be taken care of. I did not realize how much she sacrificed while we were growing up. As a mom, now I know.

My mom worked hard and made a nice life for us. But she also cared for us deeply. I remember my mom taking days off work in the summer and taking us to special places like the water park and play lands. Those times were always times we looked forward to. I also remember being a very small girl having a special time every Friday night where we would watch TGIF together and I would play with her hair. I enjoyed so much the special times she spent with me. Today when I bake cookies with my daughters I think about the special times we used to bake peanut butter cookies with my mom. (We mostly did the eating part.) I am thankful for a mom who cared so much for her family.

My teen years were hard on our relationship. I was hormonal and moody and felt misunderstood. I still remember her giving me cards during that time that said she loved me and was proud of me even though the season was hard.

When I got married and moved away my mom and I began to share a closeness again. She is one of my very best friends. She is the one I call when things are really tough. She is the one who I can count on to come over in the middle of the night. Or the one who comes over when I am sick to make me take a nap and clean my house. She is the one I run to when I need someone to watch the kids in a pinch. And she never complains. In fact when I ask her to watch my kids she is excited for it. She says, "grandchildren are more fun than children." She is still a hard worker and I am not sure how she can clean her house, run a business and still manage to find time for me. But she does. She does it all.

And on Mothers Day I just wanted her to know that I am thankful for her example as a mother. I am thankful for so much that she taught me. And how much she sacrificed and continues to sacrifice for me. Thank you mom for caring so deeply for your family!

Love You Mom!