My Mom

My wonderful mom, Marian, celebrated her 74th birthday a few days ago. My dad had me laughing when I called to wish her happy birthday by saying that when he has his birthday in July, their total age will be 150!

My mom is one of the most amazing people I know and probably the person I most admire in this world. She married my dad at the tender age of 17 and this year they will celebrate 57 years of marriage. My mom once told me a story of being at a ladies luncheon where one of the other women said she had been married a few times because she kept on falling in and out of love. My mom's response was that she, too, had fallen in and out of love many times, but it was always with the same man.

I have four older brothers and one older sister, so my mom had her work cut out for her when we were kids. All of her children have children and she is a grandmother of 16 wonderful young men and women.

When I think of the many things I have learned and am still learning from my mom, the following come to mind:

• Patience - My mother is probably the most patient person I know. Despite having a large family with constant demands put on her by her husband and children, she was always calm. If she was frustrated, and surely she must have been, she never let it show.
  
• Determination - If something needed to be done, my mom just did it, no matter how hard. She has always had a "can-do" attitude and has never been one to wait for someone else to come along to rescue her. She has always done what needed to be done.
  
• Acceptance - My mom knows what it means to love unconditionally. I am sure that I have made choices in my life that disappointed her, but my mom has never made me feel anything less than loved for exactly who I am. She displays this acceptance with everyone in our family and has never asked or expected us to be any different than who we are.
  
• Optimism - My mom has always had the attitude that, in the challenging times, things will get better. I can recall doing something stupid as a young adult and having my mom say, "Tomorrow is another day." In recent years, I have passed on her words of wisdom to my own son, encouraging him as she has encouraged me that there is always a chance to improve and make life better.
  
• Cheerfulness - My mom is not one to complain about anything, ever! She doesn't nag, she doesn't whine, but she does encourage, support and appreciate those around her. I think one of the greatest gifts I have received from my mom is the fact that she has never made me feel guilty about anything.
  
• Dependability - All of my days, through the good times and the bad, I know that I need only ask and my mom will be there for me. Sometimes I don't even have to ask - she does big and little things for me to let me know I am loved and supported, always. She is the rock in our family, the one that we can all turn to for anything, because we know that she loves and accepts us.

My mom is simply amazing. I could continue writing for hours, days, weeks even, and I would never be able to capture with words all that she has been and is to me. She is my protector, my comforter, my nurturer, my supporter, my encourager, my cheerleader, my role model, my friend.