Mothers

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers. To my Mom who survived me as a child in her house. She is a special individual. She managed to get me through those years without hurting myself or someone else. She raised me to believe that I can be what I want, do what I want, I just need to want to be that or do that. I was raised to be honest (not as brutually as I am sometimes, but honest) and do the right thing. Mom also let me know that she would always be there for me. I am passing her lessons on to Jacob, a legacy to be proud of.

To my mother-in-law, I have the best mother-in-law on earth. Audrey is an amazing loving caring individual who loves her family to the core of her being. She has managed to love a loud, brash, brutually honest daughter-in-law easily. There is nothing that I cannot say in front of her to make her love me less. I lucked out when I met Jason, I also lucked out when I met Audrey. Audrey and I have shared the good times and bad and there is no other mom-in-law that I would want me to go through those times.

To all of my friends that are Moms, they are an amazing bunch. Some I have known my whole life and we are still close - 36 years of friendship is a good friendship. Some of them are 10-15 year old friends. Some friends are less than a year. Friends to the end. Unconditional love and understanding is a cherished commodity. A call, a card, a gift in the mail, a hug goes a long way from an old friend. If I get down knowing they are there lifts me up. They are there because they want to be - that can keep a girl going. They know when to reach out and they know what to say, even when sometimes it is nothing. Thank you.

Some are military wives and are cut from a good cloth. The kind that allows them to move their families around the country and the world without a complaint. They have cried in the shower or the bedroom to hide their fear and unhappiness of the downside of the military lifestyle so that their children remain optimistic and hopeful and no pressure is put on their hubbies. They are military members themselves with the double whammy of being called to serve and have to kiss their children goodbye and tell them they will see them in 6 months - tearing out their own hearts to help Moms across the ocean. They arrange the childcare, the schooling, their own employment, the house, the cleaning, unpacking, grocery shopping, bill paying, cable, phone, tv, electrical/water hookups,lock changing, car maintenance, volunteer work and after school activities every 2-3 years they move. Sometimes this is done alone because their spouse is on a deployment ( a week, a month, 6 months, a year). These Moms have all the same issues a civilain Mom can have, just multiplied by being in a new community, having no family or friends, no connections, no job, they need the GPS or a map to drive around (if they have a car available to them), sometimes they are in a community with their first language is not the language of their neighbourhood. Trying to buy groceries becomes a hardship when you cannot ask for what you need. Medical issues that involve yoursel or your child are hurdles you must navigate through - imagine doing that every 2-3 years in a new province. These Moms arrange for tutoring for their child (which is covered by DEM in the first year of your move) so when they enter their 6th new school in 12 years they keep in good standing with their french immersion or math because their new class is ahead of his old one.
I have obviously gone on a rant but I will leave it. Hear me roar.
To all those Moms who love unconditionally, to those Moms who sacrifice with joy - have a wonderful day, month, year. You have earned it.