- Abraham Lincoln
Anyone who knows me beyond this blog knows that my mom and I are very close. So, of course, when I start paying tribute to some of the amazing moms in my life she is first on my list!
Most of our parents tell us that we do not understand how much they love us until we have our own children, and that is so true. I was trying to figure out what all to include in this post, and I got overwhelmed, because when I think about all that my mom has been through and accomplished: supporting our family as a businesswoman while my dad was in medical school and residency, encouraging, organizing, and helping my dad to build his own practice, serving as business manager of their business, and now going back to school to take on a career in project management - In addition to putting everything she has/had into raising four children into caring, intelligent, successful, and confident young adults...
Yeah, I was kind of beeping my own horn there, but you know what I am trying to do...
Oh, and did I mention my mom is BEAUTIFUL? I'm trying to step my game up...Everyone thinks we are sisters when we are out together - and it's NOT because I look old... #BlessedwithGREATgenes
In my two years of being a mother, I have realized that for the past almost 24 years I have been blessed with one of the most wonderful examples of motherhood.
(Disclaimer: My mom is a movie buff and Mommy Dearest is one of our favorite movies to quote - she didn't ever do the "No more wire hangers!" thing...LOL) Yes, my mom and I don't see eye to eye on everything, and things get a little crazy at times, but at the end of the day I feel like if I am half the woman she is then I am doing alright.
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Here are just some of the things I have learned from my mom that I hope to pass on to my own children:
~"You are the head and not the tail. You are above and not beneath" (Deuteronomy 28:13): We were told that we were winners everyday growing up because God said so. And before we got out the car to go to school, she made sure we said it too. We always would complain about the affirmations book she would make us read on the way to school, but now I have it in my house for when little Nate gets bigger :-) lol~Family takes care of each other: No matter what my three brothers and I were disagreeing about, she always reminded us that we are supposed to always take care of each other and have each others' backs...
~Don't wait to tell people that you love and appreciate them: My mom is the originator of our going around the table and sharing "Why (insert name here) is special.." tradition on every birthday, and "What we are thankful for..." on the holidays...
~Don't be afraid to show people who you are - unapologetically AND with confidence: Growing up in a predominantly Caucasian community, many times we were the only African Americans in the school, on the team, in the neighborhood, etc. But my mom constantly told us we could be proud of our differences, embrace who we are, and never be ashamed of where we came from. Most of the schools we went to did not observe MLK day as a holiday, so she would keep us home to do reports on MLK or go to the celebration at the DuSable Museum. When I got to middle school, she was single handedly responsible for creating a Black History Month exhibit that they asked her to continue even after we graduated. 
~It's your responsibility to thrive where you are planted: Whether we were living in Chicago during my dad's residency with VERY few resources, or in the small Indiana town I grew up in, she always was looking for ways to make sure we made the most of what our environment had to offer and made the best of all situations.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am so proud to call her my mother, and thankful to have her in my life.
Happy Mother's Day! I love you, Mommy Dearest xoxo
