As I have grown up and become my own person, I realize I have my mom to thank for the person I have become. Believe me when I say my mom is the strongest person I know. She raised my younger brother and me as a single mom. All while she deals with challenges herself every single day. She has many difficulties that face her every day because of a unique reason. When she was 17 years old, she was shot in the head (by accident) with a 22 caliber. This paralyzed her left side and left her with a long journey ahead of her. 5 years and an amazing recovery, after that, she had me. From that day forward, I found my life long best friend.
Despite the many things she deals with in her life, she will drop anything and everything the second I tell her I need her. She is there. She is the first person I call with good news and the first person I call when I need strength in a hard time. I call her in the grocery store when I have absolutely no idea where something is. She laughs and walks me through where to find it. I call and ask her for her opinion on literally EVERYTHING I do. From "What kind of soap should I buy?" to "How do I cook chicken in a crock pot?". Even if I think I already know the answer, I call her anyway.
My mom is a clone of me. Or I guess I'm a clone of her...? Anyway, she knows me better than I know myself. Just walking into a room she can tell if I am angry or sad if I need her to talk to me or give me space. She knows when I need to cry into her shoulder. She is always there.
On the days I wake up not feeling good or strong enough, she is there to push me up. She is my biggest fan. She holds me up whenever I feel too weak to do it myself.
I have gone through some pretty rough things in life, just like we all have. I would not have made it out of them, as well as I did, without growing up watching the strength my mother had. There is hardly ever a day I see her without a smile on. Even when I know she's in pain, she doesn't let anyone else know. She is strong for herself, for me when I need it, and for my little brother when he needs it. She pushes through whatever it is life decides to throw at her, no matter how devastating it might be.
The most important thing my mom has taught me how to do is be an amazing mother to my own daughter. I would not be the mom I am today if I didn't have her showing me what to do and answering my phone calls at 3 a.m. when the baby won't quit crying. She knows all the tricks in the book and doesn't hesitate to teach me all of them. No matter what time of day it is.
Mama, thank you for teaching me how to be strong when I feel too weak to stand. Thank you for teaching me how to be an amazing mother. I hope I can be half the mom to Paisley that you have been to me. Thank you for answering no matter what time of day it is, and helping me cook meals and grocery shop over the phone. I'm sorry for the late nights I left you wondering where I was and what I was out doing and all the grief I put you through. Thank you for raising me to be a soldier just like you. I was blessed with the best mom in the world, and Paisley could not have someone better to call "Grama". We love you.
