A Card
Growing up, I knew I had the best mom in the world. Okay, okay, sometimes I got angry and pouty and stomped my wee feet and left Mum angry notes about how she clearly didn't love me because she told me not to slam the door when my sister was napping. But other than THOSE times, I knew I had the best mom in the world. I knew Mum would always be there to comfort me when I had hurt myself or someone else had hurt me. I knew she would mete out justice to my wicked, unruly sisters when they had done me wrong. I also knew she'd mete out justice when I had provoked my sisters to do me wrong, or if I had done them wrong. Mum was pro-cats, pro-beach trips, and pro-finger paints. She also tried more often than not to keep up with our constantly changing taste buds as we declared one day that we hated green beans when we had loved them the last. She let us open a present on Christmas Eve, sang to us in Portuguese, and took us to Holy Ghost festivals where we could eat Sopas. She encouraged out interests, even when mine turned to bog bodies, the Titanic disaster, and the Russian Revolution. As we got older and there was more pressure to be ready for college and meet requirements for school, she let us choose our own paths and study what we wanted, when we wanted. By the time I was in high school she readily took up the role of mother for my more troubled friends, and made sure the house was a safe space for teens who needed somewhere to get a grown-up's love and support. Of course, our less troubled friends were welcome, too, invited in and told to help prepare the punch or get those cabbage rolls rolled. She let me throw the most awesome parties, and because she trusted that I would have good sense about who I was with and what I did around and with them, I respected that trust and tried my best to always do what was right. I knew if I was in trouble she'd help and love me nonetheless, always welcoming me home as her daughter--and because I knew I had that, I never did find myself in trouble. Instead, I was able to focus on my goals, and in many ways I've met those.
Without my mum being the mom she was as I grew up, I would not be the person I am today. I would not hold my family so dear to my heart, have the respect for my heritage I have, or have the education I have. I would not be in a successful relationship. I would not know to trust my instincts, and I certainly wouldn't be so darn weird. So Mum, thank you for making me weird. Thank you for helping me to be successful, to be loved, and to love others. Thank you for teaching me right from wrong and the importance of following your dreams and your gut. Thank you for me. I like me, and without you, I wouldn't be me at all.
Without my mum being the mom she was as I grew up, I would not be the person I am today. I would not hold my family so dear to my heart, have the respect for my heritage I have, or have the education I have. I would not be in a successful relationship. I would not know to trust my instincts, and I certainly wouldn't be so darn weird. So Mum, thank you for making me weird. Thank you for helping me to be successful, to be loved, and to love others. Thank you for teaching me right from wrong and the importance of following your dreams and your gut. Thank you for me. I like me, and without you, I wouldn't be me at all.