The Mom Everyone Wishes They Had

    There truly aren’t adequate words to describe how I feel about my Mother. I was born in 1970 with a cleft lip and palate, but when the doctors told her that I had facial deformity, her reaction was not one of horror or even worry, it was relief. She told the doctors “Oh, is that all?” She had dreamed I was going to be born blind, so a hole in my face that could be repaired was nothing to fret over. That is a perfect example of my Mother’s outlook on life. Worry about the big things, but don’t sweat the small stuff. 

      At 7 weeks I had my first surgery and they told her that I was not allowed to cry because it could rip out my stitches. Do you know how hard it is to keep any 7 week old from crying, let alone one that is recovering from surgery? But she did it by constantly holding and rocking me and forging a bond with me that will be forever unbreakable.

      She also had my two older brothers at home, but she did not neglect them during my struggles. She had enough love and gave of herself so that we all felt like the center of her universe. She worked while I grew up. Our family of five needed two incomes, but she always had dinner on the table and was always interested in how our days were, even if we forgot to ask about hers. She taught us to love with our whole hearts, because that is how she loved us. For those of you that think you can’t be a friend and a parent, you never met my Mom. She was and still is one of my best friends, but she was a parent too. She guided me, taught me right from wrong, disciplined me if I needed it and above all else created a place in her heart that we called home. It is a warm, safe place that all children should have and we had in abundance. Even though we are gone from her house and don’t live with her anymore we still know where home lies.

    She is our beacon, our true North. She is the Mom that all of my friends wished they had. I never argued with her. I never uttered that teenage anthem “I hate you!” She is understanding, caring and one of the best listeners on the planet. She is warm and genuine and honestly wants the best for everyone in her life. No she is not perfect. I know this, but her imperfections only make her more human. I would go to the ends of the earth for my Mother, but I know she would never ask that of me. I would give my life for her, but she would never let me. She knows I love and adore her, but I wonder if she knows how deeply she touches my life, my soul. She is my touchstone. She is my Mother.