Celebrating mom.

 

With mother's day just a few days away, I wanted to take some time today and tell you some of the many reasons I absolutely adore my mother. Words can't do this wonderful woman justice, but I'm going to try anyway. Why is my momma so great? Let me tell you. 

She can fold a fitted sheet.How many people do you know that can do this? When I try, it ends up looking like I rolled the sheet up into a ball. This is truly a gift. We're also talking about a woman who after washing her sheets, will iron them before making the bed.

Her handwriting looks like a fancy font you would find online.

She can make anything fun. I asked for her help studying for a science test on the periodic table when I was younger. Somehow she managed to turn this into a giggle fest by coming up with funny ways for me to remember the elements. I remember taking the test a few days later and laughing as I remembered her silly way of helping me remember each answer. At the end of every semester of college, she would come for the day to help me move out of my dorm. I can’t think back on those days without laughing to myself. We would be giggling nonstop trying to carry way too many of my belongings at a time down to the car. We’d be in the elevator basically sitting in a pile of my clothes that we dropped because we couldn’t stop giggling. After a goofy day of packing the car, we’d grab Slurpees and snacks from the gas station and gossip and sing all the way home.

She has the patience of a saint. It’s remarkable, really. People would comment when my 4 siblings and I were kids on how she never yelled. I’m talking 5 kids all about a year apart and no yelling. It’s unheard of.

She reminds me to be who I am and never apologize for it.

Because of her, I know how to love and the importance of showing affection. My family overuses ‘I love you.’ We hug. We grew up with parents who are affectionate with each other. No relationship is perfect, but we’ve learned what love is just by growing up with our parents as the example. Because of them, I know how to love, I know how to show it and I know how important it is to make sure you the people you love know you love them.

She cries happy tears like it’s nobody’s business. People tease me for crying during Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, but I have just one thing to say to those people: I got it from my momma. She’s the lady crying in Hallmark trying to pick out a birthday card for her husband. She’s the one sobbing in the movie theatre during a Nicholas Sparks film. You all probably know that I think crying happy tears is one of the best feelings in the world and I’m sure my mother knows exactly where I’m coming from. 

She is my biggest fan. She motivates and inspires and she's there to listen when things don't go as planned. She shares in my joys as if they were her own and she feels my pain when life isn't fair. No matter what though, she is there cheering me on.

She’s optimistic. I’m an optimistic person, but my mom…she is the definition of optimism. My siblings and I used to laugh when talking about finding love and she would say, “You could walk outside today and meet the love of your life…” It’s actually kind of a family joke because she would say it so often. Then one day in December, I walked out the door and headed downtown and guess what happened? I met the love of my life. You called it, momma.

She would do absolutely anything for her children. I can’t speak for my siblings because we each have our own stories where mom has been our hero, but this woman helped me survive one of the scariest times of my life. When I got very sick a few years ago and spent a few weeks in the hospital, my mother dropped everything and moved into my house for a month to be there for me. I won’t get into all the details of that again, but I honestly don’t know how I would’ve survived that month without her. 

She is why I write, read, bake, dance and talk about rainbows and sunshine. I got a fair share of my qualities from my dad, but I certainly get my passion for reading and writing from her. She's why I can act silly and "dance like no one is watching." She's why I try to spread happiness and positivity on a daily basis. She's why I cry happy tears several times a day. I get all of these qualities from her and I'm so thankful for them. 

I could go on and on talking about how great my mom is, but I will leave it at this:

Everyday I become a little bit more like my mother...and I couldn't be prouder. 

Happy Mother's Day big sunshine!