Thank You, Mom

I normally craft a blog post with my family & finance audience in mind.

I create how-to’s and lists with bullet points in an effort to reach that audience and encourage them while they pursue their goals.

Today, my audience is just one person – the person who taught me to hold a pencil, a paintbrush, and a spoon and fork.

It’s the person who introduced me to music by sitting me on her lap and teaching me Beethoven on the piano.

It’s the person who drove me to the hospital when I tripped over my ball glove at recess and broke my collar bone.

It’s the person who listens to everything I need to say, on the phone or in person, even when I’ve officially crossed over into babble mode.

It’s the person who never refers to my monologues as “babble mode.”

It’s the person who spent her entire adult life loving her husband and her kids. Even after we all grew up and left, her devotion and love have not waned.

This one’s for you, mom.

Thank you for helping me break that habit of saying, “Wait,” every single time I made a mistake on the piano and tensed up when I was a kid. It was like you gave me permission to simply mess up and move on. I’ve conquered greater heights in my life because of your acceptance of my imperfections.

Thank you for teaching me to paint. Like really teaching me to paint. You were the first person to unlock my creativity. My eyes see the world differently because of you.

Thank you for coming with us to the midnight showing of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith when I was in high school. You were already cool, but you made me want to be a cool mom who can surprise her unsuspecting kids by being a super nerd with them for a night, too.

Thank you for helping me move a thousand miles away when I was almost 21. We both know that was a life-changing event for me in so many positive ways, but now that I have a daughter, I can’t imagine what you must have felt on the day you flew back home without me.

Thank you for watching the kids on those spontaneous afternoons when I was completely overwhelmed with life last fall. God helped me – through you – even if it was just to rest my tired heart and mind and body for an hour, feeling a peace as I pictured my two children being loved on by their grandmother.  Not every young mom who is raising babies and chasing a dream has the gift of family nearby. May I never take for granted those days when you put aside yourself to restore your discouraged daughter.

Thank you for leading by example as the prayer warrior that you are.

Thank you for letting me go on and on about my career updates, listening to every word, and responding with enthusiasm and encouragement. I feel like I could conquer the world when I talk with you. Both you and dad are heroes in the “my kids know I’m proud of them” department.

Thank you for being my mom.

I don’t say these things enough.

I love you.

-L