Happy Mother's Day!

If I remember correctly, this is the first year that I will not be with my mom on Mother's Day.  When I was getting ready for my wedding and preparing my new life here in Memphis with Randy, there was so much going on that some things didn't hit me.  I was living at home with my parents at the time, and I remember it being the weirdest feeling the night before the wedding because I finally realized that "this would be the last night I would stay in my parent's home as their 'little girl'".  Now I think my dad realized all this pretty soon after I started dating Randy, but it was more of a delayed reaction for me.  Even in this first year of marriage, it is hard to not be keeping up with all of the same traditions as I once did.  But I know that this is all natural...

Very recently, I was reminded of just how many sacrifices my mom had to make for my sister and I.  From the day she got married until now (31 years later), she has worked five days a week, raised two daughters, planned two weddings, bent over backwards to get us anywhere and everywhere we needed to go and provide us with anything we needed, cooked and cleaned the house, micromanaged a hectic schedule, and stabilized a family. Here I am, feeling bad for myself because I have such a stressful job, when my mom dealt with FAR much more and did it without complaining.  My mother does not run marathons, lift weights, or drink protein shakes, but she is the strongest person I know.  She is strong in her outlook of life and her attitude...she does not let anything get her down, she never chooses to take the "easy" way out of something, and she always puts 100% of her attention into whatever she is doing, whether it is being a mom, planning a corporate event, or deciding the details of a wedding.  She alone could define the term "multi-task".  Through being such a strong supporter, comforter, giver, and provider, she has not only done her job as "mom" but has also become my friend.  I look forward to talking to her on the phone each day.  I enjoy any time I get to spend with her, and I value her opinion more than any other.  

I hope that one day I can carry on her many talents and characteristics as a mom.

In addition to my own mom, I also have my mother-in-law, Phyllis, who took me in right away and treats me like her own.  Together, her and I are one crafty duo.  Through Randy, I can see that she has made many sacrifices, given all of her time, and expressed the same amount of love ...although, raising three boys, it was probably different than the things my own mother had to do.  Although one of my grandmothers is no longer living and the other has almost no memory of me, they both have impacted my life so much in how they, too, served as mothers.  I have so many fond memories with my grandmothers that will stay with me forever.  Thankfully, I have gained Gr'ma and Mamaw on Randy's side, who carry out every last bit of being great, loving grandparents and spoiling their grandchildren.  They are both such amazing women.  I also am among a very small population that can refer to a "boss" as a motherly figure.  Stephanie took me in as though she had adopted me when I started babysitting her kids eight years ago, and she has had such a strong impact on my life over the years.  

Happy Mother's Day everyone!