I find it interesting how our relationship has grown over the years. Needless to say, we didn't always get along while I was growing up. I'm sure it wasn't easy for her being a single mother to a bit of a drama queen like me.
The roughest patch in our relationship was obviously my teenage years. We went head-to-head A LOT, especially about dating and boyfriend issues. But I think the most mad I've ever seen her was when I quit college the first time. Oy... just thinking about it now just makes me shudder.
Still, even as I was figuring out my life, she was supportive. She let me move back home. She offered me words of encouragement. She kept on loving me even though I was a huge pain in the butt.
However, I think the greatest gift she has ever given me is in her prayers. I know she prays for my older brother and me all the time. She prayed for me to decide to go to Benedictine. It took a couple of years, but God answered her prayer and I moved to Atchison, KS. It was there where I had my spiritual growth spurt. It was there where I completed my college education. It was there where I met my soul mate. Her greatest goal for me is to get to heaven. Not to own a house or have a successful career. Not to be financially stable and have a 401K. She wants me to get to heaven to have eternal happiness. The fleeting happiness of this world is not what is important for her children.
Her life hasn't been easy. She has faced a lot of challenges. Her mother passed away when she was only 12- right on the cusp of leaving childhood and becoming a young woman. That can be a very scary and confusing time. She had children with two different men. These men did not treat her the way she deserved. She had her heart broken. (But she got two kids who are relatively normal... I more so than my brother.) She's faced layoffs and car accidents and other spells of stress. But she has always risen above. She has always overcome. That's just how strong and smart and courageous she is. She's my inspiration.
Our mother/daughter relationship has definitely turned into a friendship. We talk everyday on the phone and I feel weird if don't. I tell her everything. I'm always kind of in awe of that because when I was a teenager I felt like she and I were from different planets and that she would NEVER understand me. But now she "gets" me perfectly. She listens when I have a problem. She supports me. She offers the gentle guidance that a mother does, but with the love and encouragement of a friend. Most of all, she treats me like an adult. She understands that she has done all she can to set me up for life on my own.
I hope someday to have a daughter of my own. I pray she is NOTHING like I was as a teenager, but I have a feeling I won't be so lucky... I just hope I can be a great mom. Luckily for me I have a wonderful example in my own mother.
Happy birthday, Mom! I love you so much!
4 comments:
What a sweet post! Happy birthday to your mom!
How very sweet! What a beautiful mother you have!
You are so lucky to have her.I lost my mom 2 years ago and I miss her dearly.
What a beautiful tribute, Maggie! She is an amazingly resilient woman. You know, I find that our parents still teach us even as we, ourselves, are adults. May God bless her abundantly throughout this year!
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