dear mama

Where would I be without my Mom? Well, for starters, there's a chance I'd cease to "be" at all.

She said I was an easy baby. Her labor with me was short and I was a sound sleeper. But this was no preview of things to come. I may have been an easy baby but I was one difficult child.

My Mom raised me the best she could. And I think she did one hell of a job. To her credit, the odds were stacked against her - I was a little s#it with a mind of my own. It couldn't have come easy to raise two mischievous kids with a husband in the Air Force and the scenery constantly changing.

She taught me some valuable lessons, but I was hell-bent on learning the hard way. For instance... she literally pulled me out of a dance in front of all my friends because I snuck out of the house when I was grounded. I was mortified. She made me pay dearly if I ever came home after curfew, which I think was 10pm on weekends (!!!) In the early 80's she didn't let me watch MTV because it wasn't a good influence. (She encouraged me to play piano or make something instead.) In grade-school, I could not have the Teddy Ruxpin doll every other kid had (probably because it was just plain creepy).

Sure, behind every "No" was a valid reason. It's just that I never agreed with her. But now that I am older I can fully admit: my Mom was always right.

She inadvertently taught me this: to get what I want out of life I have to bend the rules, and sometimes break the rules. And her support over the years made success easier to come by. With her love I knew I could achieve anything.

And I will never be able to thank her enough.

photo credit: Alin Dragulin www.alindragulin.com
styling by: Allison Jones Design www.allisonjonesdesign.com