My Mother

I've been thinking a lot lately about where I come from.  I've always had a fascination with pictures of my grandparents and parents from before I came.  I've wondered at the experiences and trials that have made them the people I know and love.  Naturally, with today being Mother's Day I have thought a lot specifically about my own mother.  I have spent a good portion of today remembering special moments I have shared with her.  She is the epitome of what I hope to one day become.  She is the embodiment of all that a mother should be.
She is compassionate and loving.  As a child I struggled with friends and one particular neighborhood girl was particularly cruel to me.  After one play date that ended when she and her older sister ganged up on me and I ran home crying my mom stopped what she stopped her yard work and quickly scooped me up in her arms and rocked me like she had when I was a baby.  I don't remember what she said to calm me but I was eventually soothed.  She healed the last remaining sob-induced hiccups with a Chips Ahoy cookie.  Very significant seeing as we rarely had store bought cookies and even more significant because mom was very opposed to snacks before dinner.
She is not afraid.  If anyone has gotten close to teaching me to not care what others think (I'm still working on it) it would be her.  The woman is slightly crazy.  In the best possible way.  Growing up she was known as the "Birds and Bees Lady."  Not because she's a sex fiend or anything, but as I  grew up she owned birds (chickens, ducks, geese etc) and for a brief period also owned bees.  She was once caught by the neighbors wearing a bike helmet on the roof.  The short story was my dad asked her to bring him a white hat while he fixed the roof.  What she found was a bike helmet and when he refused to wear that she did instead.  After I shared this story with my senior english class she wore the same helmet to school (she was a TA in the special-ed class at my high school.)  Rather than be afraid of how crazy my classmates and I might find her she took the risk for a good laugh.
She is giving.  Maybe too giving at times.  Her newest saying is "You'll get it when I die anyway so you might as well take it now."  Aside from giving her children absolutely everything she can my whole life she has been focused on giving to others.  Her closet was always filled with travel sized shampoo's, soaps, etc for her humanitarian projects.  The family Christmas party turned into an annual humanitarian project.  She taught us to crochet so we could all make leper bandages.  Even now that she works full time and doesn't have time for the humanitarian stuff she will empty her change purse to anyone who asks.
She is beautiful.  Like any normal woman she will not believe you when you tell her, silly woman.  She has her father's smile, which is the warmest, most genuine smile I have ever seen.  She has these gorgeous big blue eyes with beautiful long lashes.  I feel incredibly special when I am told I look like her.
She is unwavering.  She is a hard worker.  She is so many good things that to list them all would take days.  So I will end with "She is my best friend."
 I have been privileged enough to have always had a best friend in my mom.  We had our tiffs from time to time but ultimately she was the one I always turned to.  She has talked me through fights with friends, puberty, boys, school difficulties, big decisions, little decisions.  The list could go on.
Even now, two hours away by car, married, and a mother myself I call her as often as I can.  Even now, when I am ill I cry for my mommy.  This beautiful woman who gave me life and continues giving everything she can.  I have had some hard and scary times but knowing that my mother was praying for me with all her faith gave me peace.  I pray that I can be as good a mother as her.  I am ever thankful that I have her as an example.

Happy Mother's Day Mom.  Love you forever.