On Mothers

With Mothers Day coming up this Sunday, I have been thinking about what a mother means to her children and how I am a MOM this year for the very first time and what that means to me.

First of all, let me say that I have the best mom in the world. Growing up, I loved to go shopping with her, learning things from her (such as how to cross stitch and cook), and when I was sick, she is the ONLY person I wanted to be around me. When I was in college and was sick, she took off and drove all the way to Chapel Hill to spend just the day with me, and then drove back that night so she could work the next day. She took care of me when I had mono and when I had my tonsils removed, and let me tell you, I am not the best patient! I know that she sacrificed things like new clothes so that me and my brother could have new things. We always came first to her and my dad. They always took us on trips as a family, not just the two of them. We have always been best friends. Now that I am thirty years old, not much has changed. I still love to do things with her, we like to try to learn how to do new things together (making pickles, canning jams/jellies), and I still only want her when I am sick or something is wrong. My mom can hear my voice over the phone and tell when I am upset, mad, or sad, even if I try and disguise how I am feeling, she always knows. She has always been completely supportive of me, even when I worried that she may not approve of my choices. She is now a wonderful grammy to Gabriel, and when something is wrong with him or I am unsure of what to do, she is the first person I will call for advice. I hope that I can be the type of mother to him that she has been to me. I love you mom!

Being a mom has changed me. I don't think that I was a selfish person before having Gabriel, but now my perspective has completely changed. He comes first. I know that I would do anything to make him better if he were sick and I know that I would give my life so that he could live. I will worry about his well-being and his happiness for the rest of my life. Those are powerful feelings that I have never experienced before. Being a mom is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. There is nothing that beats looking over and seeing that little boy in the middle of the bed between Cedric and me and knowing that we created him, that he is a part of both of us. It is truly a miracle. I LOVE watching him develop and learn new things, it is so fascinating to see him grow up right before my eyes. I just feel completed now, Cedric and I were a family before, but now we just feel like a real family and I love that feeling.