All Hail Mom

This will be the second mother's day without my mom. Last year, shortly after my 23rd birthday, she passed away. Mother's day was so soon after that, i was on auto pilot. I just kind of stayed away from everything, took some alone time. This year there is so much that has changed. I'm pregnant with my own child, and unbelievably excited. I am going to teas, and brunches, and embracing all the mothers day things that i avoided last year. I come from a divorced family so days that honour my mom would always become big events. We put a great deal of thought and heart into our gifts and the days plans. Mostly due to the fact that we only saw her on weekends, and because we appreciated, more than most teen girls I think, just how lucky we had it. She's perfect, she always has been. If I am one eighth of the mother she was to me, I can die happy, knowing my children will be prepared for life without me. I just can't promise that my hormones wont get the better of me in the middle of lunch.

The most amazing thing about my mom? She's never lost faith that her bratty kids are up to something good, whatever the trials and tribulations.

My Mum is the most amazing woman ever. She has so much strength & she has taught me so much about life & about myself.
She has been through hell & back & still remains strong.
She lost her best friend & didn't fall into a heap which would have been so easy to do, but she got up & continued on. she is a special person & those who know her are blessed to be around her.
She has 4 kids & has 2 of us have chronic illnesses, one child that feel pregnant at 15, one that is has been in trouble & had a drug problem, there was a time when she had her daughter raped, her son car blow up, her other daughter be in a serious biking accident in hospital (all in a week) & she comes through it all so much stronger.
the part about my mum is that she gives her life to others. she was in child care for 20+ yrs & now works in Youth withdrawal, she gives so much of herself & her life to others.
she is amazing my mum. If i'm half the women she is, i have achieved greatness

My mom has this amazing ability to connect with absolutely everyone that crosses her path and charm the pants off of them at the same time. Whether it's Aziz, the Pakistani owner who sells her her Pepsi at the local 7-Eleven, or John, the town cop who gave her the police scanner that she listens to on Saturday nights, or Norman, the man who owns the eyeglasses store who lets her answer his phones one afternoon a week so that she can afford designer frames...my mom turns a brief meeting into a long lasting friendship, no matter who they are!

One thing I really appreciate, although I didn't at the time, is the way my mother could call our bluff as kids. She somehow managed to convince us that if we were lying there'd be a black spot on our tongues. The demand to "stick out your tongue" never failed to bring a confession. I really believed she could read my mind and I'm happy to say I've managed to convince my ten year old that I have the same skill (although he never fell for the black-spot trick). I've perfected that come-clean-now-and-I'll-be-merciful glare and though most daughters resist the inevitable, I embrace the fact that I'm becoming my mother. I can think of no one I'd rather be.