**UPDATED: May 2015**

I certainly picked my mother well. She’s kind, thoughtful, caring, funny, and strong.  She wants her children to thrive and does what she can to help us achieve independence.  We don’t always agree and there are times when we don’t like one another, but love unites us. We’re related in genetic terms, but that’s not what makes her my Mom.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Five Reasons I Love My Mom

  1. Her smile:  My mom makes me smile, her joy for life infectious.  She does her best to lift my spirits when I’m down, tells me I’m doing a great job, and boosts my ego about my artistic endeavors.
  2. Perseverance:  By the time she was in her early thirties, my mother had lost her father, step-father, and mother.  She was raising 4 girls, all under the age of 11, without a mother or father to offer support, guidance, or advice.  She learned as she went and did it with a sense of humor, strength, and unconditional love for her daughters.
  3. Family ties:  My mother came from a tight-knit family of aunts, uncles, cousins – all living close to one another.  She grew up with her family around her and while we didn’t have many family near us she would frequently take us back to her hometown to visit her family.  I love those days: staying at my MomMom’s house, swimming at Uncle Lenny’s and Aunt Betty’s, and going to the “K” family reunions.  I think of Hazleton as my second home and that’s thanks to my mother.
  4. Role Model:  I don’t say that I have many role models,; mainly because I believe that you are your own role model.  Having stated that, I look up to my mother in many ways – her strength, her cooking skills, her natural way with kids, her passion for education.  I am proud of my mother and all that she’s achieved, both personally and professionally.  If I have half of the same qualities that I see in her, then I’m truly blessed.
  5. Unconditional love:  My mother loves her girls unconditionally; without prejudice, judgment, or bias.  She doesn’t have a favorite (unless you count the dog) and she doesn’t pit one against the other.  She doesn’t always agree with our choices and lets us know when that’s the case.  But, it’s always done with love at the center of it all.  I know my mother loves me.  I’ve always known, even when I’m frustrated, stubborn, and afraid of letting her down.

I am proud to be my mother’s daughter.  I’m proud of the woman who raised me, who stayed with me at the hospital, supported me when I struggled, and showed me the importance of family.  When she chose my dad, she created a family infused with laughter, love, and individuality.  I thank her for all she’s done for me, my sisters, my brothers-in-law, and her grandbabies – all of whom she adores with equal parts love and devotion.