A Mother Who is Good

When I think about my mom and the lessons I learned from her throughout my life I realize how much of my life I spent wanting to fight so hard to not be like her!  I was so rebellious and just plain ugly at times and honestly I’m not sure how she didn’t just close the door and move on….except that now I am a mom and of course I completely understand how she could not.  I expected perfection from her instead of recognizing all that was good.

And y’all….there is so much good!

My mom is strong!  She taught me that a woman can take care of herself and better know how to take care of herself.  I never gave a second thought to going to college and having a skill that would allow me to earn a living.

My mom is determined!  She went back to school and received her degree when I was in college and then went on to get her masters degree.

My mom is compassionate!  The majority of her career at a local junior college, my mom helped so many people accomplish their dreams by seeing them through vocational programs which provided them a skill to provide for their families.  When I read the cards and notes she has received from these former students I know she truly cared about each one and can only imagine that she helped to change the course of their life.

My mom is fun!  Y’all..even if she is providing the entertainment being the blond that she is my mom can always make us laugh.  She likes to have fun and is always up for whatever we drag her out to do.  Tea parties, nerf gun battles, pole dancing classes in Vegas….she’s up for it all.

My mom is beautiful!  My mom is almost 70 years old and she is still so beautiful.  I often get short and irritated with her because she moves a little slower these days but I seriously just forget that she is the age she is because she does…not….look almost 70!!  She is still sassy and cute.

My mom is confident!  Seriously I cannot think of a time when I ever saw my mom compare herself or our life to others.  I never saw her wish for another home or envy others extravagant vacations.  She has always been content living her life and minding her own business.  This is not to say she didn’t wish sometimes that maybe things had gone a little differently but she always had the confidence in herself that she was strong enough to make it through and a peace about her to accept the things she could not change.

My mom loves me!  As a parent myself I can not even imagine the pain I placed on my moms heart so many times.  Raising little kids is hard but going through the pain that comes with watching your children experience true heartbreak or make unwise decisions as they mature into adults is not for sissies.  Through it all I knew that I could tell her anything and she was a safe place to go because no matter what she was going to love me through it.

My mom is my biggest fan!  I know that whatever I am doing I have my own personal cheerleader thinking I am the greatest thing that ever lived.  So many times I realize I am looking for her approval to know that I am on the right track.  In fact a lot of our spats occur because of my desire to know what I’m doing is satisfactory and any comment I perceive as slightly negative will send me off the deep end.