Today is Mother's Day, and I want to celebrate my mom.
Rather than writing from scratch, I decided to dust off some old writing and re-write, re-enjoy, re-reflect the gifts my mom's given me. These gifts have zero monetary value and endless life value.
They're the gifts mom's give best.
Good morning, Good morning, it's time to rise and shine. My mom didn't say this. She sang it. The tune echoed through the house as our daily alarm clock for school. I didn't enjoy it then but embrace it now. Getting up early is good for you and this little ditty starts the day right.
Never follow a recipe. If I could eat at anywhere in the world, I'd stroll into my mom's kitchen. She’s a master and like other greats refuses to follow a recipe. Culinary innovation follows. For example, have you ever heard of pickled chicken or wilted lettuce? Exactly, my two favorites.
You grow in the valleys, not on the mountains. I think she took this quote from her grandmother. Regardless of its origin, it is true. Painfully true.
Pursue your dreams. I’ve always followed my bliss and my deserves the credit. When I decided I wanted to go west and attend the University of Montana – a big decision for boy from a small town in the Ozarks – she supported me 100% She always has and this gives me confidence to pursue my dreams.
Talk to people. My mom will talk to anyone. As a result, she makes people smile, departs airplanes with newfound friends, and receives as many Christmas cards as the North Pole. I've mentioned this before, but I recently learned this behavior increases overall happiness as well. So be sure and be friendly.
Laugh. My mom loves to laugh. She likes to laugh at other people; she loves to laugh at my dad, and, most importantly, she laughs the hardest at herself.
Always finish what you start. I learned this the hard way at age 7. I crashed into the pool wall during a swim meet and decided to immediately exit the pool. I met my mother standing above me on the pool wall. She made sure I finished.
Have rules. In my mom's presence, you don't: wear a cap inside, come to the breakfast table without a shirt on, lie, steal, cheat, quit, or pass gas. She has rules, unwavering, awesome rules.
Be blessed. When you ask my mom about her life, she'll say: "I'm so blessed." What makes my mom blessed is she believes she's blessed. What you think, you become.
Thanks for everything, Mom.
I Love You.
Side Note: My last post focused on my brother. This post focuses on my mother. In both instances, I found writing publicly about the lessons I've learned from them increased my love and gratitude for the role they've played in my life. And this alone made the exercise worthwhile.
Double Side Note: My mom fell in the kitchen on Friday and broke her left hip & wrist. A heartfelt thank you to all the health care professionals that put her back together again in under 12 hours. I spoke to her yesterday, one day after hip replacement surgery. "I really buggered myself up this time," she stated. "Today, I took four steps and used the beside pot," she bragged. That's the attitude she's known for and the attitude that shines the brightest when times are tough.
Thanks Mom.
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Another piece of writing inspired by my friends Mario Dot To and Nurture Theory. We believe the thinking discovered through public writing improves our lives. We call ourselves the Western Writers League, and we'll get some rad custom gear made eventually.