Happy Mother's Day!

I may be biased in saying this, but I strongly believe that I have the best mother in the world!  She has been a mother since she was twenty-four (crazy to think she was younger than me) and it has always been clear that she loves her boys to no end!  Through the years, she has provided us with strong guidance, a calming presence, and has really and truly helped shape us into the men we are today.  So with that said, this Mother's Day post is all about Mom!

For many of the years prior to starting school, Mom did not work, but instead stayed home with Isaiah and me.  While she stayed at home with us, we did so many fun things.  Our days were filled with board games (a lot of Candy Land), going for walks around our neighborhoods, and most importantly, learning.  We started simply with letters and the sounds they made, then when I was good at that, we moved on to words and what they look and side like.  While I was learning words she taught me how to write the letters and words.  I learned quickly from such an outstanding teacher, and moved on to math.  Mom made flash cards with simple math problems that I would excitedly answer.  Thanks to Mom taking an active role in my learning, I entered Kindergarten with a very solid educational foundation.  This foundation became apparent when I was invited to join my school's gifted and talented program in first grade.  Mom could have very easily chose to find a job and make more money for our family, but made that sacrifice to make sure that her kids were well cared for and off to a great start in life.  One of the many sacrifices that she has made to make sure that we have had all the opportunities to find success.
My Mom's desire to help us learn however, definitely did not stop once we got into school.  I can remember her volunteering regularly in our classrooms to read to the class or lend a hand where she was needed.  It was clear in those times that she not only wanted us to have a great education, but that she aimed for the success of all of the students in the class.  On one very stormy, scary day in Mississippi, she came in to read to the class and as she left, I begged her to let me go home early with her so I could be in the comfort of my own home during the projected storm, but she insisted on me staying in school.  Later in the day, I had to suffer through several tornado drills, one of which occurred as we were boarding the buses.  As we went inside, I made sure that I was near Isaiah (who was in Kindergarten) and comforted him while we waited for the swell to pass.  When we got home, Mom apologized for not letting us come home, and let us build a pillow fort as we listened to radio updates on the storm.  She was obviously concerned for our safety, but also didn't want us to miss important learning!

 I think both of my parents played a really large role in my upbringing (and continuing practice) in the Catholic church, but being home with Mom meant that I was also likely going to go to daily mass at the local retirement community (St. Catherine's Village).  I fondly remember attending mass and then afterwards going out back to the kitchen so I could have a coca cola with the priest and the old folks.  I wasn't as shy then as I am now, so I would ham it up for the residents, while Mom chatted with them.  Afterwards, we would spend time looking around the parking lot to find the largest pine cones around (they were huge!)  Usually, when we got out of church, we would stop by the library so that Isaiah and I could pick out new books to read at home.  As children, we devoured books. 

On Vacation In Maine!

Another major sacrifice that my Mom made, was to move down to Mississippi when my Dad took a job offer down there.  She had been away from Maine before, but with her family all living in New England, I am sure it was difficult to make the move away from them again to go down to Mississippi.  She has always been extremely close to her family, so it was always a very great experience for her when we got to come up north and spend time with them.  We would come up for weeks at a time and spend countless hours with our cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.  Mom's devotion to family and family values has provided such a great model for us to follow as we have gotten older.  As her parents have gotten older, she (and her siblings) have spent more and more time making sure that they are being properly cared for and have everything they need to live a comfortable life at home.  She is truly one of the most caring people I know.
I definitely have some qualities of my father, but if someone were to compare me to either one of my parents, I think they would find that I share many more qualities with Mom.  Mom is quiet and even keeled, but confident in the things she does.  She has a burning love for God and all the people around her.  Since we have grown up, she has gone back to work and currently educates people who were recently diagnosed with diabetes how to diet and manage their new disorder.  I have never witnessed her in this practice, but I imagine she does so with patience and enthusiasm.  Like me, she holds her feelings close to the chest, choosing to internalize concerns rather than sharing them with others.  There have been very few days when I ask her how work was when she doesn't respond "work was work," or "it was okay."  I was usually hard to tell if it was a bad day or good day unless I questioned her further.  She has a propensity to put forth quality work, but on occasion is known to push her work to the last minute (that's where I get it from) so that she can go for long walks, cross-country ski, or work in the garden.
Mom is definitely an outdoors fanatic.  As she has gotten older, she has stuck mostly to walking, hiking, xc skiing, or working around the yard.  When she was younger however, she was an avid downhill skiier.  Our love of skiing definitely stemmed from Mom dragging us out of bed early on the weekends so that we could get first runs on the mountain.  The rides up were always a groggy blur, but once we got on the mountain, we would only take breaks to eat lunch.  She still skis alpine now and then, but now that we aren't around, she has lost her skiing companions.  She was also quite the tennis player.  She has never been super competitive throughout her life, but in playing tennis with her you could see glimpses of frustration or joy after a good or bad shot.  On the court, she has always been the most consistent player, using her experience to keep the ball in play and being in a great position to send the ball back at me.  I'm not sure that I ever beat her (for the record, my serve has since improved greatly).

She's smiling even after going through childbirth with Isaiah!

There are so many more things that I could write in this blog, but I will save them for future post.  But for now I will just say that I speak for all the boys in saying that my family has been blessed to have such a wonderful, loving mother.  Her natural goodness and zeal for life has pushed us to aspire to live like her and be the best people that we can be.  If there was a better combination of genes than Mom and Dad's I would be surprise (I am biased).  So with all that said, Happy Mother's Day Mom!  Thank you for always being there with a word of advice or a strong guiding hand!  I am the person I am today because of you and Dad!  I'm glad that I can continue to absorb your kindness and share it with others!

Mom's always the centerpiece to an amazing family!

 Until Next Time!