Tucker Tale #4: Mother’s Day Edition

In celebration of Mother’s Day, I wanted to tell you all a little bit about my mom.

“All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” Abraham Lincoln

That really says it all, but I obviously have to elaborate. I’ve mentioned before how much alike my mother and I are. We are both painfully optimistic, friendly and kind. We love reading and have the same taste in books. We could get lost in our own little world, talking about the recent books we’ve read, or reading the same book together, tearing up at the same parts and overreacting to every little plot twist. We both love and have always loved to write. She wrote a lot of poetry when she was younger, and I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. We have the same mannerisms and outlook on most everything. My family calls us creepy twins because we are known to show up at the same place wearing the same outfit. We think alike, look alike and like the same things. I love the things we have in common and feel so lucky to have those similarities with her.

Sometimes though, it is the things we don’t have in common that stand out the most to me and have the biggest impact. My mother has the patience of a saint. She must have gotten that from my Nana, but she really does. I guess she had to be patient, raising five children and all. Not to mention the fact that my dad wasn’t always quite so patient. I have family members tell me all the time about how my mom never yelled when we were kids. She managed to always stay calm through everything, never losing patience. I however, did NOT inherit her patience. I am actually really impatient…something I need to work on. When I go to her for advice or when I am in a panic about something not working out right, which is often, I can always count on her optimism and a reminder that I need to be patient, that things will work out over time.

The time I spent in the hospital last year really opened my eyes to how truly special my relationship with my mother is. I don’t know what was worse, being in the amount of pain I was in, or seeing my mother react to it. I remember overhearing her talking to one of the nurses one of the first nights in the hospital, telling her how I am her best friend and they need to help me get better. On my worst days, it was as if she could feel my pain. Through all of that, though, my mother was so strong. She was my advocate, my voice because I literally couldn’t speak, she cried with me when I needed to cry and laughed with me when I really needed the laugh. I’ve always known how special our bond is, but going through this with her made me count my many, many lucky stars.

I truly couldn’t ask for a better role model in my life. I can only hope to be half the mother she is someday. I love learning from her, laughing with her and being her friend. She is my soul sista, my sunshine and I know for a fact I wouldn’t be who I am today without her.

Happy Mother’s Day, Momma!