I write pretty much the same things about my mom every Mother’s Day, but I have a sneaking feeling that she doesn’t mind. So I’m gonna do it again this year!
The thing about my mom is that she is the best one. I realize a lot of people say that about their moms. And I know that a lot of people don’t. Not everyone’s mom is in their life, not everyone loves their mom, and some people just put up with moms who aren’t as great as they could be. Which is why I feel beyond-words lucky that I couldn’t improve upon my mom even if I was given the option (unless there’s an option to make your mom a multi-millionaire, in which case I would make that change).
For real though. My mom is the best.
I grew up feeling completely and unconditionally loved, every single day. I always felt safe and happy. My passions were nourished and encouraged, I was given everything I needed and more, and I was surrounded by love and affection. I was an only child, thank god, so all of my mom’s motherly love was directed right at me, and no one else — lucky me!
I feel like I’m bragging, but I’m just being honest (as all braggarts say). Truly, I am so grateful for the love my mom has given me every day of my life.
And not just love. She makes me laugh, we have fun together, and she knows me like no one else ever could. So many of my weird traits and quirks are shared with her (genes are wild), so when nobody else understands where I’m coming from, my mom gets it! Who else in the world, when I email her a link to a YouTube video of dandruff removal, would reply with “Omg!! I’ve watched this very one!!!”
Even as an adult, I may go days or weeks without texting my mom, but I know she’s there for me in whatever way I might need her, whenever I need her. She’s there to talk about spirituality, the totally shitty day I had, the Great British Bake-Off, my extremely frustrating digestive health, or our ongoing plans to one day visit Ireland together.
My mom is the strongest support system in my life, both in terms of lending a hand when I’m in a tough situation, and in cheering me on when I pursue my passions. She’s the first to read my books as I write them, and even though she’s extremely biased, she always has nothing but kind words to offer as feedback. (Yes, Mom, you’re biased!)
One of my favorite memories with my mom happened when I was in college. I was 21, and had just broken up with my first boyfriend. I had ditched class in the middle of my English lit lecture because I felt nauseous and heartbroken (and back then, any strong emotion made me wanna throw up). My mom worked in a lab on campus, and since I didn’t know where else to go, I went straight there to find her and cry. She produced some crackers from wherever moms keep all the stuff they happen to have exactly when it’s needed, and took me outside to sit at a shaded picnic table. I ate crackers while she offered words of wisdom, and told me about all the times she’d behaved like a total pathetic weirdo after her breakups. They were hilarious, ridiculous stories that she’d never told me before. It reminded me that everyone, even my mom, goes through the same heartbreak shit I was going through just then. Plus it made me laugh, which was exactly what I needed, and it made her feel that much more relatable, which strengthened our bond as not just mother and daughter, but as friends.
It seems like a small thing, but my mom dropped everything at work to sit with her adult daughter for a while to calm her down during a difficult time, and it meant (and still means) everything to me.
So, on this Mother’s Day and on every other day of the year, I am very grateful for my mom and her ongoing presence in my life. Thanks for being such a strong role model and loving parent, Mom. I love you!
meg smitherman 