Today is Mother’s day and many people are putting pictures of their mothers on their profile page but I am not doing so. She doesn’t like having her picture taken. So I figured on the day to celebrate her that I would respect her wishes in this regard. I have learned many things from my mother: some of these things she taught me purposefully and other things I picked up by following her example or watching how the world treats her.
I learned all sorts of useful things like how to read and how to tie my shoes. She is kind to everyone whether they were black or white or green. She is even kind to those who don’t necessarily deserve it. She has more patience than I will ever have. She is not afraid to embrace the silly. This year she gave me the peace, love, and tacky Snuggie for Christmas. She manages to give stuffed animals for pretty much every other holiday. She likes to laugh, sometimes at my expense. She is an amazing listener.
She was a stay at home Mom and sometimes I wonder if she was happy with her decision. Sometimes I wonder who she was before she became a mom. She got married in her early twenties and by the time she was my age, my brother and I were already in school. I know that she has said that was young and naive when ti came to kids but I’ve never asked for specifics regarding the sheer fear of having two kids with a husband who traveled for business.
She has always been my biggest fan. She was a band parent. She was at pretty much every dance recital, every piano recital, swim meet, girl scout meeting and whatever else I managed to dream up to do in my spare time.
I am grateful that she is still here. Some of my friends don’t have that luxury.
