Happy Mother's Day!

Today is that special day that we get to once a year honor and recognize those special women in our lives. That's right folks, what a sharp crowd you are, it's Mother's Day! Being away at school right now makes it a little difficult to really make my Mom's day special. I want to take this opportunity to lavish attention and love upon her.

All growing up I thought that everyone's family was like mine. That they too had mom's that would come in and play Crash Bandicoot on the Playstation after they were in bed, and would occasionally let them play a round. I thought that they too had mom's that took them out of school to go see Mission Impossible 2 the day it came out. I thought that when they played Phase 10, that in between turns they decorated their faces with army camoflauge paint, in what we like to refer to as Face Paint Phase 10. It had never crossed my mind that people's families weren't like mine.

I grew up with laughter as a constant companion, whether I was being laughed with or at, it was always there. You know the phrase if mom's not happy, then ain't nobody happy? Well let's reverse it to say, that if mom was laughing, we were all laughing. I am thankful for that laughter because it has made me who I am today. I often think that the only reason I ever had any friends is because I am vaguely funny. Katie loves to say that one of her greatest fears is that all her friends are only being nice to her so they can hang out with our mom.

In all seriousness though. My mother is an incredible woman. She has been through things that I can't even imagine surving. Everyday she gets up and does what needs to be done. She is just incredible.

I remember in 7th grade we had to write a report on one of our heroes and I stupidly chose Phyliss Wheatley, one of the first African- American female poets, because I wanted to be the girl who was different from the rest of the kids who were writing about their parents. I can't remember if my mom made a fuss about it or not, but I would like to retract that essay I wrote oh so many years ago. My mother is my hero. She is inspiring, loving, encouraging, AND she is funny. She calls me on my crap, but does so in a way that I can learn from. I want to be the kind of mom that she is now. I want to surprise my kids with shopping trips, and take them out of school to go to the movies. I want to give them a pair of my earrings if they show even a slightest bit of interest in them, because that's who she is. She is fantastic, and she is my mother. My hero.

Other women I wish to wish a Happy Mother's day to...