Happy Mother's Day!

In the spirit of Mother’s Day, I’d like to talk a little about what I love about my mom.

1) She never brings up my past mistakes. Ever. Seems like she totally forgets the crazy stuff I did in high school or the classes I almost failed in college, or even the old boyfriends! She never teases me about them or complains to people about it, or even says “I told you so”. She just forgets.

2) She always sees the good in people.

3) Anytime I make a hard decision, she always supports me. Even if she’d spent months giving me advice to which I totally ignored, once the decision has been made she never questions me. She always figures out a way to support it.

4) When I was younger, never once did she miss a performance for choir or band. Never once did she forget to get copies of the monthly school newspaper to send my articles to the family. She was always there to pick me up from camps and mission trips and never had me ride with anyone else. She volunteered at my events, got me registered for the ACT, and threw the biggest and best birthday parties.

5) She remembers my doctor’s appointments, even to this day and always remembers to ask me about them.

6) She is the reason I am with my husband today. She knew from the beginning that he was the one for me, even when I didn’t know it. She kept up with him during the years we were broken up, taking an interest to him and spending time with him. Then she would tell me about it and it drove me CRAZY! I thought she loved him more than me and we weren’t even together. But in the end, she’s the glue that kept us both a little interested in each other. The night we got back together, I could feel her beaming from across the phone.

7) The night before my wedding I spent the night at her house. When I woke up on the big day, she was already up and had given me a framed poem about a mother’s pride on her daughter’s wedding day. I started to cry because I was so scared and so happy and so nervous and so excited. But she just gave me a hug and said “don’t cry—this is what I raised you for!”

8) She has always shown an interest in my life and the people I choose to spend my time with. I never feared bringing friends to my house to meet her or spend time. She opened the doors and made sure everyone was comfortable and happy. There was always food in the fridge and toilet paper in the bathroom—and that’s pretty much all it takes to become the hangout for teenagers and college kids!

9) She’s always been open and honest with me. She’s never tried to cover anything up or explain it away. She just tells me everything: good, bad, and ugly. That has been very important as everything from my family to my looks to my living situation was changing. It continues on today—and accounts for the great amount of respect I have for her.

10) She has never, ever, ever made me feel bad about my appearance. Never once has she said my hair looks bad or I’m too thin or gaining weight or too pale. She always comments on what looks right, but never what looks wrong. She may hate the way I look but I would never know. As a teenage girl, to have your mom accept you for the way you look is a huge thing that I don’t take for granted.

11) I never wanted for anything growing up. She found a way to make sure I had everything I needed and most everything I wanted. I now can’t think of a single thing that I didn’t have.

12) She instilled in me a work ethic. These days I know a lot of people who want the easy way out, and who jump from job-to-job when it gets hard. Not my mom. She worked and worked when I was growing up hardly ever missing a day of work or calling in sick. Never did she call in for a “mental health day”. I like to think I have a good work ethic. That I work hard and don’t make excuses and I don’t quit when the job gets hard. That’s entirely thanks to her example.

13) She just loves me all the time, no matter what.

I say all of this because many of my friends have young children and are just starting on this parenting journey. Know that you don’t have to do fancy things or buy fancy things or make every single outing perfect. I don’t remember a lot from when I was little, but I do remember that I was happy, healthy, and my mom was always there. Loving your kids and doing your best is all that matters. What I remember and cherish most is that, at least in her eyes, I’m perfect.

I love you, Mom! Happy Mother’s Day!