My Mom

Ever since I became a mother, Mother's day has become much more significant to me. Not because of the fact that now I also am celebrated, but because suddenly I realize the huge responsibility of celebrating my mom. Once you become a mom you see your own mother in a totally different light. All the things you do for your child, the lost sleep, the sacrifices you make, are things your mother did for you. And most of all when I look at my daughter, and think I should not be allowed to have such a crazy love for you, I know that my mom's love for me is just as big, just as crazy. So this is for you mom, I hope it in a small way it celebrates you.

When I think of strong women, I think first and foremost of my mom. This may surprise some of you who know her only a little, because she is never one to put the focus on herself or tell you what she has accomplished.

My mom had a hard childhood, they did not have the money for her to have nice things or sometimes medical care, so she decided that she would create a different life for herself, and she did just that. She didn't create this better life for her but for me and my sisters. She put herself through college working two jobs at a time and became a teacher.

When my my youngest sister was born my mom was raising 3 children ages 4, 2, and 0, I get stressed just thinking about that! Throughout my childhood my father had to travel a lot for the Air Force, so my mom parented us by herself for large chunks of time, she was able to juggle it all, it wasn't until I became a mom that I realized how hard that must have been on her, she never let it show. When my youngest sister was 2 my mom went back to teaching, so for most of my life, she worked full time and raised us girls (and all that that entails). Not to mention attending all the soccer games, throwing birthday parties, and teaching Sunday school. My mom's world revolved around being the best mother she could be, I always knew I was the most important person in the world to her.

When I was in college my mom also went back to college to get her masters in counseling, so that she could be a school counselor. For most women the dream of going back to college when you still have two children at home and a full time job, would stay a dream, not my mom. She accomplished yet another dream and each year children are blessed by her gift for what she does.

Being raised by a woman who not only dreamed big dreams, but went out and made them a reality is one of the greatest gifts God has ever given me. In my world nothing seems impossible, I feel free to dream big and to chase them down with her support. I feel like it is perfectly doable to travel half way around the world to find a child in need and raise them as my own. When something overwhelms me in my life, I think about my mom and remember that part of her is in me and she has shown me how to be strong. And if it still overwhelms me it's okay, I know that my mom will be right there for me whenever I need her, and with her by my side everything will be okay, she's convinced me of that a thousand times in my life.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom. I love you and I want to be just like you when I grow up.