I rarely ever post anything too personal on my blog but I'm breaking the rules for this one.
Mother's day came and went this year while I was away, yet again, and wasn't able to be home to celebrate with my mom.... A lady who avoids any and all celebration on her behalf.
When I sat down to write a few things about my mom I realized how completely impossible it is to do so. There really are no words to sum her up. If I tell 100 stories you still won't understand how special she is. She is someone you just have to know and you have to experience. After you've gotten to know her you still won't understand completely. She is a rare gem. I'm amazed every day by her wisdom, loyalty, dedication, selflessness and kindness. She is a pillar of strength that encourages greatness. I can't remember a time when she chose her own desires over the desires of those she loves.... and if I think hard about it I still won't be able to come up with a story because there hasn't been a time.
The hardest thing for me is to think of all the times I've completely taken her for granted - but my thanking her for the sacrifices she's made and the person she is to my brother and I isn't why she does it. It's just in the fabric of her being. She knows no other way then to be the person she is to us and those around.
If you know my mom you will understand how amazing she is. If you don't know her, she just can't be explained.
So Mama, thank you.
Thank you for the millions of hot meals and I'm so sorry that yours were probably never hot by the time you sat down to eat.
Thank you for allowing me to follow ALL of the dreams I've had in life, even those that turned out to be more of a phase.
Thank you for working all night at the hospital and then driving hours to my basketball game before you had a moment to sleep.
Thank you for saying no and then for punishing me when I didn't quite understand what that word meant.
Thank you for the whistle that stands out in the football stadium, basketball gymnasium and track field.
Thank you for teaching me the importance of family.
Thank you for the countless hours you spent with me on the phone while I was homesick in Texas. Thank you for not letting me come home.
Thank you for my wedding and the work you put into giving me the day I wanted.
Thank you for creating a home that was a shelter and haven of rest and peace.... and a lot of fun too!
Thank you for listening to my petty problems and concerns but NEVER letting me know how petty they were.
Thank you for crying with me and for me.
Thank you for all of your prayers, praise, critique, guidance and wisdom.
Thank you for being my fighter when I needed a fighter.
Thank you for being my best friend and my mom and knowing that I needed the two roles at different times.
Thank you for the sure steady voice that is always dependable and always home, regardless of where home is at the time.
Thank you for teaching me to drive when I was 12 and not getting too upset when I ran that stop sign and pulled over at 15.
Thank you for rebounding my basketball, pitching the softball and.... what mom teaches her kids to throw a perfect spiral pass!
Thank you for painting boxball on the city street even though that HAD to be against some law.
Thank you for being the ultimate example of a wife and mother.
I truly believe that Jarret and I are the people we are today because of who you are. I hope that one day I'll be just like you.
The Amazon River - 2007
