With the coming of Mother’s Day, I’ve been thinking about everything my mom, AKA Momma White, has done for me. When I say everything, I don’t mean scheduling every doctor's appointment I’ve ever had or making sure I always have groceries. I mean the teenage arguments she put up with, the countless times she’s forgiven the stupid mistakes I’ve made so she could help me learn from them, and the times that no matter where I was or what she was doing she dropped everything to be there for me. Mom, I always have and always will look up to you, I can’t tell you how lucky I am to have you as my mother and how thankful I am to have you as a friend.
"The bond between mother and son is a special one. It remains unchanged by time or distance. It is the purest love- unconditional and true. It is understanding of any situation and forgiving of any mistake."
When it comes to quirks, my mom has a few: from the volume on the TV or radio having to be an even number, never being on an odd number, to the parking break on her car having to be put on BEFORE shifting into park (she can tell, trust me, I’ve tried). She is easily the quirkiest person I know, but for every one of her quirks she has two or three things that make her the best person and mother on the planet. Every day I learn something new from my mom, whether it be realizing that something she’s been telling me for years is right after all or if I get some wisdom from her in the form of advice. I know I’m doing something right when people that know me well meet my mom for the first time and afterwards say to me “everything makes perfect sense now.”
To go along with her quirks, there are a couple things that just drive her crazy. At the top of the list there’s Tom Brady, slow walkers and the word "fine," however, there is one thing that takes the cake… entitlement. Every time it is remotely related to what we are talking about or even if she just needs a good rant my mom will give a twenty minute lecture on hard work and how nobody is entitled to anything. She won't hesitate to tell anyone that you should put in what you want to get out and remind them, "Can't never could do anything." I agree with her more and more as I mature because I know nothing is going to be handed to me. The value I hold in hard work and the pride I have in everything I do are thanks in no small part to Momma White, for that I can't be thankful enough.
The value I place on hard work echoes through everything I do, but that isn’t what I have to thank my mom for most. Momma White is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most kind-hearted, caring and loving person I know. Each of her friends know that no matter what time it is or where they are she will be there for them. She genuinely loves everyone around her and cares for each of them deeply, I know this better than anyone. From the times she has woken up at three in the morning to take care of me while I was sick without the blink of an eye to the times I call her to talk because I need a break from school she has always been there for me. She does all of these things out of the goodness of her heart, she has no interest in receiving anything in return because she gets everything she needs from seeing the happiness of others. My mom has always showed me the value in helping someone just to help them, not for something in return, just for the good of doing it.
I can’t tell you how many times my mom has reminded me “Patience is a virtue,” and to go along with her favorite saying is her favorite excerpt from the Bible:
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails, but where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away."
(First Corinthians 13:4-8)
For Christmas one year, I got her a plate with the verses on it and it still stands in our living room for everyone to see. Momma White shows love just as the verses say in all she does. Through life she has set an example for my entire life that I strive to mimic so that I can be like her.
"To a mother, a son is never a fully grown man; and a son is never a fully grown man until he understands and accepts this about his mother."
My mom has never, and will never, let me forget that I’m her “baby boy.” When I started growing up, making friends and trying to impress girls being your mom's "baby boy," so I would get embarrassed and fuss at her to stop. Now that I’m older, I'm okay with it because I know no matter what is going on in my life all I have to do for the love of my mom is be her son. I feel safe knowing that I always have her to bring me peace and give me love. I know she will appreciate all my accomplishments no matter how big or small, she will always be my best friend, my rock to lean on and she will never stop loving me.
Mom, thank you for your guidance, for being the role model I needed, and for your steadfast love. Thank you for being there to pick me up and brush me off every time I get knocked down and for never letting me forget that I’m loved. So, Mom, happy Mother’s Day, thank you for everything you do even if I take it for granted, I love you.
Sincerely, Your Son
"Happy is the son whose faith in his mother remains unchanged."
- Louise May Alcott
