My Mom, my hero...

Although the title of this may sound a little cliche, this is truly how I feel about my mother. My mom has always been my best friend. She is my encourager, my cheerleader, my rock in hard times, and the best advice giver that a daughter could ask for. This woman as been through a lot. If you already haven't heard, my mom suffered a heart attack this last Sunday. It was very scary. And then if a heart attack isn't enough, they found a clot in her heart and then she was having serious complications with the site that they did the angiogram--with the main artery in our body! It has been an emotional week...a series of up and down emotions. Just like this...I got a phone call from her yesterday morning. To my surprise they were discharging her from the hospital! Then I get to the hospital and another crisis happens. They were worried about a possible clot or pseduo anyersym in her leg. More rushing around getting tests down...more waiting...more worrying. That just was how this whole ordeal has gone. Thankfully, my mom is home now trying to recover from this massive awakening----she is now a heart patient.

Now it just doesn't seem fair. My mom has had almost every thing a woman can go through in her life. She has had a brain anyersym, cancer, oestophorsis, 2 back surgeries, arthritis, and now a heart attack. She eats well, she exercises almost every day, and is so tiny! I feel so much for my mom right now. And through all this, she still is so positive...such an encourager...to me! I should be the one to encourage her. She is one strong individual...the strength I have seen in her is so inspiring to me. I love her so much and am so thankful God saved her in this situation.

A few weeks ago, I entered my mom and I into a mother/daughter look a like contest. Now..we get told we look JUST alike all the time. I am so honored. I hope I can not only look like her...but show the strength she has as a woman of God. Now..I don't think we will win as I looked at some of the other entries...we look a like but not as much as some of the pictures. But I want to honor my mom and post what I wrote into the contest what I love most about her. She is the best. Here it is!

Walking through the mall, stepping into an elevator, or even sprinting through the grocery store with my mom we are always greeted with the same response. The same stares. The same smirks. And then the same comment. I can even recite along with the strangers now. “Wow, you two must be Mother/Daughter.” Every once in awhile the onlookers will sarcastically greet us with a smirk on their face and with a “You two can’t be related, can you?” When my friends see a picture of my mom or meet my mom in person for the first time, they seem almost taken back. “Wow, Sarah! I can’t believe how much you look like your mom.”

I never knew what to think about this until it came to a head in the winter of 2000. That is when my future husband met his future mother in law for the first time. As the day was coming to an end, my new boyfriend and I were discussing his first impressions of my family. Thinking he would go on and on about how hospitable my mother was, he proceeded to say, “Wow..you are marriage material! You will be hot when you’re older!” I just shook my head and walked away knowing boys will always be boys.

But I now think about those comments and I am honored. I am honored to look like the person who has been my role model for 30 years. I hope I can only grow into half of a mother, wife, and human being that she has been. My mother has been my best friend since the time I was little. I can tell her anything. I can always look to her for the best advice. I can still call her when I’m sick. And she will still show me pity. As I have become a mother, I savor her wisdom and her advice. The best advice she has given me, I remember as a child her doing it with me. Her advice, “There will always be floors to mop and dishes to be done. But their always won’t be a 3 year old wanting to play princess with you. Savor playtime with your children.” I remember my Mom playing with me and stretching my imagination. She cultivated creativity within me. She allowed me to think outside the box. She knew that her time spent with me would do more for me in years to come then any new fangled toy for me or tip top clean house for her. I will always treasure those times with my mom.

My mother has showed me what being a mother is all about. She has been so selfless in giving of herself for her children and her husband. She always has time for me. She always has a listening ear. She always has the best advice. I am honored to look like my mom. It brings me hope that maybe..just maybe I can be a little more like her to my children someday.