Dear Mom: HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Ok, I know I may be a bit biased, but I really think you’re the best mom in the whole wide world. I don’t even know where to begin in describing how amazing you are as a mother; and how much I just really, really like you! But I’ll do my best…

Growing up, I always looked up to you. I know you’re my mom and that’s kind of natural. But it was a little more than that. I remember thinking it was so cool seeing you dressed up in suits going off to work every day. You always looked so pretty and sophisticated! I mean, truth be told, I was always jealous of my friends who had stay-at-home moms. But seeing you striving for success and being good at what you do, yet being home by the time I got home from school, being a phenomenal cook, AND making all of my basketball games was quite the example of a woman “doing it all”. And you showed me that I could too.

Can’t nobody get you down!

I wasn’t always in awe though. Sometimes you did drive me nuts! For one, you were a little too positive! That sounds funny, but you were like, over the top about it! Driving around in the burgundy Ford Taurus listening to positive affirmation tapes is where I draw the line! But, even when I didn’t realize it, your positivity was pulling me through some of my down times as a kid. When I was a chunky middle-schooler, crying about the fact that I couldn’t see my toes when I looked down, you told me to tell myself that I was the most beautiful girl in school – and one day I would be! And although I wasn’t the most beautiful girl in school, I definitely grew from the chubby short girl to the tall athletic one. Off came the braces, straight went the perm, a fashion sense developed – and suddenly, I wasn’t doing so bad!

In fact, however annoying this; “I think I can, I think I can” attitude of yours was to my bratty teenage self, it somehow rubbed off on me. And today, I’m a bouncy ball of optimism! I’m never down for long before I bounce right back up and keep on going!  And once again, this has pulled me through some of my tougher times as a young woman trying to establish and grow my career.

I’ve never met a more driven and hard working person than you, Mom. In sales, you were always finding new ways to market yourself and your business. And in the past several years, you took that drive and innovative spirit and taught yourself all about this new world of social media and blogging. In fact, you’re the one who got me started on this whole blogging thing and you encouraged me until I finally broke down and tried it out. Now a year later, I’ve developed a deep passion for writing and creating this little space that is all my own. And I have you to thank for opening up this whole new world of ideas and opportunities for me, and if nothing else – an extremely addicting hobby!

Mostly, I want to thank you for being the most supportive person in my life for the past 30 years. You’ve made me feel like I can do anything I set my mind to – no matter what. You listen and you don’t judge when I admit failures and cases of poor judgment. And most recently, in the days when I annoyed everyone in my immediate circle with my “Twilight” obsession, you listened to me! You let me go on and on – and you even read the books and fell in love right along with me! Ahhhh, now that’s love!

So on this Mother’s Day, I just wanted to say thanks for being my mom; my biggest cheerleader, and my shining example of what a mother should be. Oh and, thanks for being the best best friend I’ve ever had!

I love you. Happy Mother’s Day!