I have celebrated 28 Mother’s Days in my lifetime. For that one day a year that is dedicated to
her, I have made my mom cards, written poems and brought flowers to show her
how special she is. The reality is that
there is nothing I could do or buy that would ever explain how thankful I am
for her, for her dedication as a mom, for her support, for the strength she has
shown, for the role model she has been and continues to be or for the impact she
has had on the women my sisters and I have become and continue to grow
into. It has not been an easy past few
years for my family but in particular, it has been difficult for my mom. It breaks my heart to see her go through what
she has. When you feel so strongly about
someone, it is not always easy to express how you feel but my sister Kate has
always been good with words. I would
like to share a note that she sent to my mom a little while back (with both of
their permissions of course).
****
Once upon a time there
was a young girl. She was shy, quiet and unsure of herself. As a child, she was nervous about trying new
things; climbing trees, speaking up in class. She would nervously reach for a
branch to pull herself up into a tree but before she took that first step, her
gaze would wander over to her side. Every time, without fail, her mom would be
standing there watching her, sending a quiet air of confidence to her young
daughter and as if she had wings, the young girl would lift herself up into
that tree. This extended into many parts of the young girl’s life- she would
stand on the soccer field feeling frozen with nerves until she heard the
excited roar of her mother’s voice from the stands telling her “you can do it.” (Or "kick it high!" Ha ha ha)
As the young girl grew
into a young lady, she became more confident in herself but, like most
teenagers, she felt the need to push the limits. And, who better to test the
limits with than someone you know will be there for you no matter what? So she
pushed her mom’s limits. Abhorrent arguments happened, terrible things were
said but the young lady’s love for her mom was never questioned. In fact, the
differences she had with her mom simply allowed the young girl to explore
herself, her strengths and weaknesses, ultimately making her a better person.
The young lady finally
grew out of her “terrible teens” and into a young woman. By this point, she was
relatively independent of her parents; living on her own, paying her bills-
taking care of herself. However, no matter how independent she was in her
personal life, she still sought out her mother’s approval, always wanting to
make her proud- sometimes worrying that
she wasn’t. Despite what she was doing or what her perception was of her achievements,
her mom was always there telling her how proud she was of her & encouraging
her no matter what.
That young woman is
now an adult. She still lives on her own, cooks her own meals, and pays her own
bills. Her relationship with her mom has transformed itself into a fun, loving,
supportive friendship. This does not mean however that she doesn’t still look
up to her mom, turn to her for reassurance or try to make her proud. She always will. She also lives with the hope
that she can do the same for her mom. While growing up, every step of the way,
the girl looked to her mom for confidence, encouragement and strength. When we
are young, we don’t realize how difficult those “bad days” can be… because our
parents do so much to shield us from the stress, the hurt and the pain- they
absorb it for us.
Thanks to her mom, the
woman is a strong, confident, and happy person. She is so grateful for
everything she has been taught, everything she has been given, everything she
is. She knows that without her parents, without her mom, her reality would be
much different. With all of this knowledge, all of this confidence, all of this
strength she can now play a different role for her mom. Now she can be the
strong one. She can provide encouragement, confidence… because she knows that
life can sometimes take the wind out of people’s sails. And that’s ok, she
might not be powerful enough to bring back those forceful winds but she can
certainly provide a wind strong enough to keep both her and her mom sailing
forward. She knows that she can take the helm because before anyone knows it,
her mom will be back on top being the strong, great woman she has always been-
the rock the girl has leaned on countless times.
So for now, the woman
stands quietly waiting- some worry in her mind but an overwhelming feeling
of love for her mom in her heart, and confidence running through her veins.
All will be fine mom-
I love you more than words can say.
****
This past September, I not only married the man that I can only
hope every girl finds one day, I also officially gained a family that could not
be better suited. Being Mother’s Day, I also
want to express how lucky I am to have another mom. She might have only been around for the past
few years of my life, but she is an incredible person that I am so thankful to
have in my life. Her selflessness and generosity
are just a few of many examples of the mother I hope to be to my children. Although B and I cannot be there to celebrate
this day with her, I hope that she enjoys it and that she is treated well J
Happy Mother's Day to all mothers.
Tracy
Ok, it's 7am and I am crying already...a lovely post. Your mum is a very special lady. I've never seen someone with so much courage and strength. The proof that she was a fabulous mum is right there with you three girls.
ReplyDeleteI just came to check my email and am now tearring up... I may be on another continent, but my heart is with my mama today. I love her and we are all so lucky to have her. I love you mom. xoxoxo sara
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