A Day for All the Mamas

Happy Mother's Day!! 

I always get excited for Mother's Day. It's a little silly, since I am not a mother (unless you count having a cat, which is just sad), or even a wife or girlfriend, but ever since I was little, I always looked forward to Mother's Day. In my child eyes, Mother's Day was always one of the most beautiful days of the year, no matter the weather. 

This is one of the first (if not the first) Mother's Day I will be spending not with my mom. She is accompanying my step-dad on a conference trip in Florida (hope you're having fun!!). Even though we celebrated Mother's Day earlier this week, since I just love the day so much, I couldn't see it pass without celebrating my mom, and mothers in general. 

When I was born, my mom already had 5 children and a step-child at home. I was majorly a caboose baby, being seven years younger than my closest sibling, and a total surprise. I was born right in the middle of December, and I took my sweet time entering the world. Since my mom was not sure when I would decide to join the family, she still had to prepare for Christmas for her six other children. Of course, I decided to be a little jerk and interrupt her Christmas shopping. Apparently I was not okay with not being the center of attention. I was born on December 17, making my mom a mom.... again. 

Growing up I was a mama's girl big time.Wherever she went I wanted to go, too and whatever she did, I wanted to do, too. I even swore I was going to marry my mom when I grew up (I snapped out of that pretty quickly). Then I discovered that my mom and I were both born under the Chinese year of the sheep. From then on we were year of the sheep twins. 

Then, when I was about 8 my parents divorced. I ended up living with my mom. It was just my mom, 2 of my sisters, and me living together. We had to move out of our big house and into a tiny duplex. It was so small that my mom and I had to share a room... we had a bunk bed and it was a party every night. The next year my two sisters moved on with life, and then it was just my mama and I. And we took on the world together. We went through a lot of crazy life together. We took trips together, went through relationships together, and had wonderful adventures. 

Then I became a teenager. I think they were pretty chill teenage years, as far as mother daughter relationships go. We definitely had our share of little spats, but most of them involved the recent addition of a step-dad to my life. It was a difficult transition for me to make and the selfish side of me didn't want to share our happy life. Then I got myself a boyfriend (the one from my previous post here), and the real drama started. 

For the years that I was with this guy, my mom was not my favorite person. Not because I loved her any less, but because I didn't understand that she was trying to do what she could to help me. I just thought that she didn't she what I saw and that she didn't want me to be with him. It was true that she didn't see what I see, she saw so much more that I was not willing to accept. 

Now my mom is my greatest support. She listens to all my silly problems and advises me in pretty much every aspect of my life. We have had rough patches in the past, but I am so grateful to have my mama. She is, and always will be my year of the sheep twin. I adore my mom and I wish her the happiest Mother's Day!      

(my mama and I at my oldest sister's wedding)

(Hanging out in Nashville, TN... oh the 90s)

 

(my high school graduation!!)

(Lake Michigan with the mama)