Happy Mother's Day!

My mother is not only the best mother in the world, but the best friend a girl could ever ask for and I am incredibly blessed to have her in my heart and soul. She is my best friend, my closest confidante, my role model, my rock and my inspiration. Mothers and daughters have a very special relationship.

I believe mothers reside in our heart and soul. Our mothers are the essence of us. We came to life in our mother’s womb and will hence always be a part of them. Our bodies are an extension of one another in the truest sense of the word. Our heart and soul are one in the same and always will be.

I have always had a difficult time picking out Mother’s Day cards because I can never find a card that conveys how grateful I am to my mother. Words cannot begin to describe my love for her so it frustrates me to no end to try to find a card that sums it up. No words can sum it up or describe my overwhelming sense of gratitude. No words do it justice. I typically buy cards that read “Words cannot begin to describe how much I love you” because it’s the simple truth.

While looking at Mother’s Day cards yesterday, the first card I pulled said exactly what I wanted it to say and I know I was meant to find it. This never happens to me. I am known for going to several different stores before finding the perfect card. The series of events that led me to choose that particular store on Michigan Avenue at that time of day to look for a card tells me that I was meant to find that card and it made me think.

I feel I have been finding a lot of things I was meant to find lately. I have learned if you follow your heart, your instincts and your gut, eventually you begin to find your way. These last four months of unemployment have been tough, but have really allowed me to get in touch with myself. As a result, I feel like I’m finally finding the things I was meant to find in life because I know myself better than ever. Life is a journey and while the path may get bumpy at times, we must remember it always moves forward as long as we stay true to ourselves and our feelings. We must trust ourselves to find our path forward.

I could never navigate this path without my mother’s unconditional love and support. She is my rock and I know how truly blessed I am. Below are the words on the card I bought for her:

“Some gifts you hold
In your hand…
Some you hold
In your heart
Mother, you’ve given me so much to be thankful for, it’s hard to know where to begin. You gave me patience and understanding when I needed it most. And through your wisdom and advice, I learned lessons that will stay with me throughout my life. But most important, you gave everything with love…and for that, I can’t thank you enough.” ~ Hallmark

Like I said, words can never describe how much I love my mother. She is an amazing woman who inspires me every day. She comes from a long-line of strong woman. My grandmother (her mother) was a courageous woman who overcame many illnesses with incredible strength and fortitude. My great great aunt was one of the first women to get her Masters in Math from Illinois University and taught until she was 80 years old.

One of my favorite stories about my beloved grandmother is how she was suspended from college because she wore a red dress with red lipstick. No joke! The college Dean told her she “ignited the passions of the men on campus by wearing red” and reprimanded her. Can you believe that? It was the color red, not the style of the dress that was too risqué! Wow, have times changed! My grandmother was a brilliant and amazing woman who walks with all the women in my family every day in our hearts. She is a part of our soul just as we are a part of hers, always.

My mom taught elementary school for years and later became Principal before retiring recently. The number of children whose lives she touched is immeasurable. Some of my friends had her as a teacher. Every person that tells me they had her as a teacher says she was either their favorite teacher or she changed their life. Trust me, I know why and I know how blessed I am to be her daughter. Most of the people who tell me this explain that my mom believed in them. She never forced one style of learning on anyone. She never let anyone feel that their uniqueness was a negative thing. One of my friends who had her as a teacher in fifth grade and has ADD tells me:

“She was the first teacher who actually believed in me and didn’t force me to conform.”

He told me the way she appreciated his uniqueness is what turned everything around for him in school in the right direction. He is now an extremely successful businessman.

My mom knows that children should be praised for their unique strengths instead of punished or forced to conform. My mom helped so many of us realize our strengths with her unconditional love and acceptance. Not only this, but she helped us all realize that every day we wake up we are blessed with a choice. We have a choice to be happy or we have a choice to dwell in the negative.

My mom raised a happy family and founded a successful elementary school on the following morning mantra, which I want to share with all of you this morning as you begin your day:

“Make it a great day or not. The choice is yours!”

I know many of you are going through a difficult and painful time right now, but I want you to remember that every day is a gift and every day we wake up, we have a choice. A choice about whether we want to tap into our positive energy or wallow in negative energy. Happiness is a choice we all have. Life is not about WHAT happens to us. It is about how we RESPOND to it that matters.

Realizing that we can influence our quality of life by choosing how we RESPOND to the things that happen to us is a huge discovery in recovery!

I am not a religious person, but I am very spiritual. I believe in a higher power, a higher energy that makes the sun come up every day. It is our responsibility to tap into that energy that exists within us. We all possess the energy to make the sun come up in our lives every day.

When we stop lying to ourselves, accept what we can and cannot control and begin living in the moment, we finally start to live in a state of consciousness that will bring us happiness. It is that simple. It may sound complicated, but it really is not.

To honor my mother, I share her wisdom with all of you today and hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day. Seize the day, as they say! Happy Mother’s Day to all you hard-working mothers out there and for those of you celebrating your mother today, enjoy your day of honoring her!

"Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever." ~Author Unknown

Sep 7 - 12PM
LeavingNutsBehind
LeavingNutsBehind's picture

Not always true, unfortunately......

Hi, Lisa. I'm new here.....and I'm loving your site!! When I read your comment about moms, and about your mom, I felt really, really happy for you. I did! But, sadly, when you have a narcissistic, unloving mom, Mother's Day is a hell all its own. I just wanted to say that. (I'm not trying to be critical, or take away the joy of people who do have loving mothers......no, not at all, and I hope I don't sound that way at all.......) Thanks, Lisa.