My MoM

I have a vivid memory from my childhood of my mom hanging me upside down by my feet in the ocean. I remember being afraid to let her do it and making her promise that she would lift me up before a wave came. In my memory she didn't, and I ended up with a face full of salt water.

She adamantly denies that this ever happened. In my old age, I am starting to believe that maybe it didn't. It's the hanging me upside down by my feet part of the memory that is a bit suspicious.  Probably I just got knocked over by a wave, blamed her, and my imagination ran away with itself inventing this much more interesting story.

It's a joke between us now.  If ever I make a stupid mothering mistake, my mom will quickly quip, "Well, at least you didn't hang him upside down in the ocean!" Indeed.

It was my mom's birthday on the 10th. Don't ask me how old she is because I stopped counting a long time ago. In my mind, she will always be 40.

This post was meant to be finished on her birthday... but it wasn't...

Like all things that are very close to my heart, it is hard for me write about her... because... it just is.

In my adult life she has become one of my most cherished confidants. I was thinking about this yesterday and realized that this all came about during one of the hardest times of both of our lives. Mike was deployed, my mom had breast cancer, I was living in San Diego and commuting 45 minutes each way to work. I began calling her every day on my drive home. I needed someone to talk to. Or, maybe being so far away from her during such an important and terrible time in her life made me need to talk to her.Who knows, maybe she needed to talk to me too. It became part of our lives. Funny that out of such a dark time, something so amazing blossomed.

Now when anything happens big or small, I get the itch to call my mom. When I was first here in South Carolina without phone or internet for a few days, my mom told me she was going into withdrawal. There was just something not right about not talking to each other for so long.

My mom is always busy - but never fails to make time for her kids.
She is mother to many more people than just the 3 of us. Many people look to her for guidance and support. As listeners go, she is the best. As nurturers go, she is supreme. When you are down and out and need someone to be there to take care of you in any kind of way she will be there... to fold your laundry and wash your dishes if you just need some organization in your life. To listen to your endless complaining if you simply need a sounding board. She is able to sift through what you say - keeping the important things and instantly forgetting those things that you said but didn't mean.. To hang a curtain that suddenly makes your house feel like home.. To tell you things that sometimes you don't want to hear but it's important that you do. To make you feel special and interesting and loved.

At least, these are the things she does for me. These and much much more.

Happy Birthday, Mom. Belated. Some day I will figure out how to properly thank you for all that you have done for me - especially lately. For now, this will have to do.

Love
Sarah