Last year's Mother's Day holiday found my Mom mothering a grown daughter with a broken heart. I was living with her after my separation and she provided me with much needed stability, love, and support. She not only mothered me but grand-mothered my children, too, who were equally as sad and confused as I was. It wasn't a situation any Mom wants to find herself in but I am forever grateful for her support when I needed it most.
Our suddenly blended lives were busy. My kids expressed an interest in raising chickens and soon we were raising twelve busy chicks. My Mom continued to work as a full-time nurse and her time off, she prepared the ground for her eclectic garden just like she always had. She was the instigator of many fun treks for my kids & I in a time when I would have needlessly preferred to ball myself up in the darkest corner of the farthest cave. Our lives were hectic but my Mom is capable.
Throughout my childhood, my Mom could seemingly take on anything----her list of accomplishments grew to include building her own house, canning much of the food we ate, sewing plenty of our childhood clothes, and going back to college to become a nurse while maintaining a 4.0 GPA the whole way through.
There are many, many stories that exemplify who my Mom was to me as a child---she was our family's rock; our family's muse; she was also that cool Mom that my friend's envied, and she was the one that people gushed to me, "Your Mom is so beautiful!"
My Mom grew up with a fair share of hardships but they only seemed to solidify her resolve to persevere.
There are many aspects of my Mom that I am thankful for but probably my gratitude is greatest for her emphasis on providing my brother and I with a very happy, wholesome, and loving childhood (along with my Dad). I never understood how precious this gift was until I realized, as an adult, that not all of us are as fortunate.
In the novel, The Red Tent, the author writes, "If you want to understand any woman you must first ask about her mother and then listen carefully... The more a daughter knows the details of her mother's life---without flinching or whining---the stronger the daughter." I owe much of who I am to my parents, to my Mom, for providing me with such unflinching and all-encompassing love. A mother is many things to many people, but to me my Mom is love, support, a great role model, and a person to admire. For this, and more, I feel thankful.
Happy Mother's Day!
