To My Mother

This is my mother. As a young girl, I imagine she felt the same immortality that we all do as children. There is no urgency in her hopes and dreams, because she has her entire life to accomplish them. Life is about friends, fun and the anticipation of what lies ahead.

When I was younger, I never really realized that my mom had once been a child; that, when she comforted me through my difficult adolescent years, she had already experienced the obstacles I was stumbling through. Back then, my mother was just that to me – a mom.

This is my mother. She had her own hobbies and budding passions as a girl. Life was not always easy, but I imagine she always made the best of it and began developing strength to get her through the harder moments that lay ahead.

When I was this age, my naïve and self-centered eyes only saw my mother in relationship to my own needs and life. I did not know, or even think to realize, that she had interests besides me and our family.

This is my mother. She is a beautiful woman who has chosen her husband and career path. When I look at this photo, which is one of my favorites, I see my mother as an adult who is starting to learn grown-up sized lessons about life, as we all do at some point. But I imagine she never lost faith in those she loved and became adept at soldiering on with a smile.

A few years ago, I was finally able to separate “mom” from “woman.” I realized that all along, as she raised me and loved me, my mother “The Woman” – who had been a child, a teenager, a newlywed – had always been there, too. I just couldn’t see it.

This is my mother. She is experiencing motherhood for the first time. I can imagine the excitement she must feel and that fear must occasionally overshadow it.

But she learns and grows and decides to face those joys and challenges again…

…and makes room in her heart for another little girl. I cannot imagine the joy, exhaustion and frustration she felt as a mother of two or the number of sacrifices she made for us.

This is my mother. She is a woman who embraces life and tries new things, from learning to ride a motorcycle to spending time in China. My mom teaches me that it’s never too late to have a new experience and that it’s up to you to go out and live life.

This is my mother. She is skilled at having fun and being silly, especially when there are kids around. My mom teaches me that life is more fun when you don’t take yourself too seriously.

This is my mother. She is a woman that is still growing, changing and actively trying to become the best and truest version of herself.

This is a woman who always did the best she could for her family, putting us first over and over again. This is the woman who taught me about endurance, strength, sacrifice, balance and love. And this is the woman who I continue to learn from and will continue to be inspired by.

Mom – now, with motherhood at my own threshold, I am starting to understand just how lucky I am to have you. Thank you for all the love you’ve given me and for caring for me in a way that no one else can match. Thank you for all you’ve given of yourself for my benefit and for always showing up, even on the hardest days, to take care of us. I look forward to traveling down a path you now know well and learning what it truly means to be a mother. I love you!

P.S. Dad – just you wait till Father’s Day!

P.P.S I can’t talk about mothers without mentioning my mother-in-law. Few people’s hearts can rival hers in size. She is among the most well-intentioned people I know and can make a new friend in 30 seconds flat. Once she knows you, even if it’s only been for 30 seconds, she’d be willing to give you the shirt off her back if she knew it would help you. My mother-in-law loves deeply, broadly and freely and she gives and gives and gives. She raised an amazing son who has the most honest and genuine heart of anyone I know. For that, and so, so much more, I am grateful. Thank you, Jinny, for loving me, welcoming me and taking me in the way you have!

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