Today is the birthday of the best mama to ever walk the face of this earth.
That's right.
It's MY mama's birthday. [Not yo mama's...hahaha]
Isn't she
lovely?
I don't know if I can even begin to explain how wonderful this woman is. But I'm gonna try. I'm gonna highlight few of her main roles each day, including: wife, mother, daughter, friend, and program manager.
WIFE:
My parents are so cute. It's obvious how much they love each other even after 25 years of marriage. And it always amazes me how much they serve each other. My mom cooks for my dad, irons his clothes, and does a so many other little things to let him know how much she loves him. If I had to make a guess, I'd say my mom's love language is
service. And if that's true, my mom says "I love you" a million times a day.
MOTHER:
I honestly feel like I could go on for days on this one. I won't. But I could.
When we were little, my mom stayed at home with us, and we always had so much fun. She took us to the beach, to the Wild Animal Park, to the Zoo, and to some pretty awesome parks with playgrounds and pirate ships. She planned the BEST birthday parties. She made me cute clothes. She made creative foods, like green eggs and ham and toast with an egg in the middle. She decorated our rooms and sanded down dressers and repainted them if we wanted another color. She learned how to fix things that broke in our house by being resourceful and asking lots of questions. She took us to the doctor whenever we were sick and pampered us with attention and gatorade and chicken noodle soup.
Today, my mom helps me with financial things, like FAFSA and taxes and insurance. [Whoever invented FAFSA anyway???] She makes me cute clothes. She takes me shopping. She randomly gives me little gifts all the time because she was out shopping and saw something that made her think of me. She fixes things in the house that have broken down. She encourages my brothers and me to go the doctor when we are sick. She makes sure we are taking our medicines. She runs all the necessary errands for her household. She sets a good example of exercise and healthy eating.
If I had to give my mom one title, it would be "Advocate." She is
the advocate for our best interests. And she will do anything and everything to help us achieve those.
DAUGHTER:
Just when you think she can't get any more amazing.
My grandpa lives in the town where my parents live. And with his failing health, my mom spends hours and hours and hours taking care of him - whether it's actually being with him or making phone calls on his behalf or taking care of his money. She did the same thing for my grandma right up until she passed away. Things haven't always been perfect with that relationship, but my mom gives her all to it anyway. She never gives up. What an amazing example of dedication.
FRIEND:
I feel like this one applies to me, too. Because my mom
is one of my best friends. But she has lots of other friends, too. And if there's one thing I know about my mom, it's that if you need anything - anything - and it's within her power to get it for you, she will do everything she can to make it happen. And just as she makes clothes for me, she makes jewelry for all her friends -
all the time. Cool jewelry. Not lame jewelry.
PROGRAM MANAGER:
This is a new one. For the past...like...10 years or so, my mom was a school nurse. And just recently she decided to try her hand at something new. So she is a program manager for the county health system. She is such.a.hard.worker. If you give her a task, consider it done. She will find a way to make it happen. My mom is the epitome of dependable. And capable. And one million other positive adjectives.
So if you add all these roles together, my mom pretty much has multiple full time jobs. And she does them all fabulously. I look up to her more than any other woman in my life. I feel so incredibly lucky every day to have been raised by such a woman.
