My mother's name is Allen.
Well, technically it's Ruth Allen, but ever since my mother was a small child, she has been called Allen. If you met her today, she would tell you that her name is Allen. I often tease her about this, not for her name, but for the fact that my father also goes by his middle name as well as my mom's two sisters. I find it kind of humorous in my own way, especially because I don't go by my middle name.
Most of you may be thinking "what's that got to do with anything?". Honestly, it's a small detail in my mother's life of many. Over the years, it has been strikingly clear that my mother is more than just a five letter name.
My mother has Always there for me. Whenever I needed to turn to someone, I knew I could always turn to my mom. However, she never pushed me to tell her everything about my life. She let me decide at my own pace what was important enough to talk about. She never pushed more or coerced me to tell her things, she gave me my own privacy and treated me like her equal. She's always picked me up when I was down, ready to give me words of comfort and encouragement when I needed them the most.
My mom is extremely Loving. She has always stated that she is my number one fan and I have never doubted that for a second. She is always thinking of me in the corner of her mind. When she goes on a trip, she most likely brings me back some surprises. She is never stingy when it comes to hugs, giving them out whether I need them or not. She will not hesitate to answer a call or text from me and I know I could trust her with anything.
My mother makes me Laugh all the time. Her sense of humor never fails to make me smile, most likely because it is so similar to my own. Her witty remarks and silly behavior have dried many tears, proving that laughter can be the best medicine. There have been times where we have laughed ourselves silly, hunching over with aching stomachs and teary eyes. We laugh at the silliest of things at times, but to us they are comedy gold. For me personally, a sense of humor is an important personality trait and my mother never fails to deliver.
My mom is Encouraging. She has always pushed me to do my absolute best with everything I do. She helped me with my studies, signed me up for trumpet lessons, and inspired me to always think of others. However, my mother never pushes me to the breaking point and never makes perfection a standard. She always has encouraged me to "put forth A-effort" and is proud of me even when the outcome is at a "B or C level". My mom tells me all the time how proud of me she is and that means more to me than anything in this world.
My mother is Never selfish. She always seems to put the needs of me and others before herself. She is consistently thinking of me when she goes out shopping or when she spots something that may interest or help me. She has sacrificed many a work-day to help take care of me when I was sick. Something that really impacted me is when my mother took a teacher's assistant job so that she could be on a similar schedule as me throughout my school career. Only when I was going to Clemson did she go back to her original field, dental hygiene. One of the main reasons she did so was to help raise money to send me to college. My mother generosity and humble attitude are consistently an inspiration to me.
Always there for me
Loving
Laughter
Encouraging
Never selfish
These characteristics prove to me that Allen is more than just a five lettered name. There is so much more to my mom and I can never thank her enough for being such a positive role model in my life.
