My Mom

I'm a terrible daughter. I did nothing for my mother for Mother's Day. No gift, no card, nothing! I was feeling really terrible about this but of course it is too late to rectify the situation now as She lives in NC and I don't. So I decided the least I could do was give her a post on my blog. She deserves so much more than that, but it is the least I can do.

My Mom is a great mom. She has always been my advocate. When I was in elementary school, I had a hard time with school. She knew something was wrong, even though all of the teachers and professionals told her otherwise. She did not give up. She was right. I have dyslexia. If she had not stood up for me, I would not have been a successful student. I wonder if I would have graduated high school. I'm sure I would not have made it to college.

She has always been there to make sure I get what I need and take care of me. OK, so sometimes she tries a bit too hard to take care of me, especially when I am sick, and I'm not appreciative. She says I'm too stubborn and independent. Apparently she knows me well.

She is one of my dear friends. When I was in high school, I would skip class regularly and go have lunch with her and her coworkers. I can not believe she would let me do that but I loved those lunches. We have always had lots of fun spending time together. It is one of the things I miss about being in Texas. We don't get to have our Saturday morning breakfast and shopping trips. I guess the children would probably put a damper on those these days anyway. I talk to her on the phone at least every few days. Things seem out of sorts if I don't. I miss her.

Mom has always believed in me. She has always supported me in whatever I decided to do, even when she didn't like it or agree. She hated it when I played keeper in high school soccer. But she came to every game and didn't even say "I told you so" when I broke a bone (only a finger) my senior year. She really didn't like it when I moved to Texas, I always knew this but she never tried to talk me out of it or guilt me into moving back home.

Mom is a wonderful seamstress. She would disagree with me, but she would be wrong. She makes lots of wonderful quilts, bags, dresses and other things. And she is nice enough to share these things with my family. I have her quilts hanging in almost every room in my house. I carry purses she has made year round. And my girls wear dresses she makes frequently.

I wish I had saved all the letter she sent me my freshman year of college - you know before email was common, yikes! Every day I got the Walkertown News. It contained whatever random things had happened in my home town that day or that she just thought I might want to know. They were always so funny and made me feel like I wasn't so far away (I was only two hours away but it felt much further). I looked forward to getting the mail everyday because I knew there would be something from her and it would make me smile.

Before this gets too sappy I'll admit that Mom and I have had our share a disagreements and annoyances with each other. What two people haven't? We wouldn't be normal if we didn't occasionally. And there are times when I will say or do something and think I refuse to be my mother! Other times when I sound like her it makes me smile. Usually that is when someone has been looking for something right in front of them and I will tell them "it is right there, as big as cabbage!" That is definitely a Mom statement, but one that always makes me laugh. I actually heard Charlotte tell someone something was "as big as cabbage" recently and had a great laugh.

I could write lots more about Mom, but I won't as I'll probably need those stories next year when Mother's Day rolls around.

Mom I hope this present was at least better than the one I got you when I was ten! (That is the year I had an appendectomy on Mother's Day!)

I love you Mom. Have a great Mother's Day.
Jenn