The mommy of the mommy....

As a mother- I daily reflect on my childhood as things happen with my children- I daily think, how would my mom have handled this situation and how did I feel as a child when certain things happened.
So as mother's day is upon us, I began reflecting on my mom- and as I sit here tonight, writing about her- it brings such a warm flood of memories into my heart.
My mom- (and I refer to her in past tense, not because she is dead- because she is fully alive, but in reference to my childhood)- was such a tender soul. Strong disciplinarian- STRONG- stronger than I am- however, the only memories I have reference her as a quiet, gentle, SAFE mother that did nothing but comfort, love and care for us. I was a "doosy" of a child- I not only required WAY more discipline than my brother, but I also was so attached to my mom that she could hardly go to the restroom without me being in her business....in fact- I KNOW that she could NOT go to the restroom without me being in her business! I have memories of following my mom to the bathroom and talking to her while she was using the restroom, and of course, my mom the gentle soul that she was would lovingly respond and interact with me no matter where she was or what she was doing. I never once felt like I was bothering my mom- I felt the opposite- I felt like she wanted me to following her around the house talking non-stop about whatever life topics I needed to discuss.
My mom didn't really like to shop, do arts and crafts, ride loopy rides at Astro World, and didn't have a fondness for jewelry...I LOVED to shop, LOVED to do arts and crafts, LOVED rides at Astroworld, and LOVED jewelry! So, what did my mom do? She did all of the above. We would do all kinds of things together (things that I liked to do) even though it wasn't her "thing"- she would do them so that it would make me happy. She would take me, Jimmy, & Neil (our neighbor and might as well have been her adopted son) to Astroworld every Thursday during the Summer- we didn't miss a week- and Jimmy & Neil would go off and do their own thing- and mom and I would go ride the rides together....we would have so much fun- just she and I.....she was my best friend. As I write that, tears well up in my eyes- now, as I am a mother and look back on my childhood, I see the sacrifice that my mom gave every-single-day of her life for us kids. I see how she never once made me or my brother feel like we were a burden or that we made her sacrifice her desires so that we could have a wonderful life.
My mom gave me the gift of prayer. From as far as I can remember- my mom and I would pray about EVERYTHING! When my mom would spend too much money- she and I would sit on the couch and pray that dad wouldn't be upset...haha- (dad- don't take that wrong- it's because of your frugality that we had the life we did....love you! :)) that was just the beginning...we prayed over my hair, over school projects, or friends, over heartaches, over needs over events...we prayed and prayed and prayed! Such a sweet memory I have of praying with my mom- that was our FIRST reaction to everything....to pray.
My mom never once treated me like I was insignificant- I ALWAYS felt like she truly valued my opinion and what I had to say. She always treated me with respect- even though she was my mother and demanded that respect from me.
So- mom- I love you- as I look back on my childhood- I cannot think of one negative thing about you...I cannot think of one thing I would have changed about my childhood. I hope that this is a tribute to you as a mother and shows you how amazing you were and still are.

Happy Mother's Day to this mommy's mommy!