A Mother's Tribute

Growing up and as an adult I’ve often heard people complain about their mother. She was overbearing. She was bossy. She was selfish. There are many women out there that do not have a good relationship with their mother. Many of them blame their mother for their problems in life. I’m not saying some of these feelings are unfounded, some women just aren’t meant to be mothers, but there also comes a point when we must grow up and accept responsibility for our lives and stop blaming others for our failures.

This last piece of advice is something I heard from my mother. My mom grew up on a farm that had no electricity till she was 12 years old. There was never indoor plumbing. When we visited my grandfather we still had to pump water from a rain cistern in the entryway and used an outhouse in the cow pasture. At night we just used a can on the front porch because it was too dark to make it to the outhouse. My mom is the youngest of 9 children, 7 of whom survived to adulthood. Her mother (my grandmother) died when my mom was 4 years old. It’s hard enough having your older siblings bossing you around when you have a mom to defend you, but when mom is gone, it can get pretty rough.

Suffice it to say, my mom had a hard upbringing. She could have looked at her life and blamed the world for the unfairness of it all and wallowed in self-pity. So, when I heard her say, “I’m sick of hearing people blame others for their problems; they need to grow up and take responsibility for their life.” I figured she spoke from experience and took that comment to heart.

I have always had a good relationship with my mom. Even through my teen years I don’t ever remember hating her like so many teenagers seem to do. Sure I had growing pains and attitude, but I respected my mom and looked to her for guidance. As an adult my relationship is more that of a friendship. She is one of my closest friends and I respect her opinion. When I am sick, I still want my mommy to come care for me, and she does. For a time my husband and I moved 3 hours away from my parents. Although I enjoyed living in that city, I missed having my parents closer. I was grateful when we decided to move back home.

Yesterday was my mom’s birthday. I didn’t forget it, but I did forget to do a post because I was in “Wordless Wednesday” mode. I regret not getting this post out on her birthday.

Happy Birthday, Mom. Thank you for all your guidance as I was growing up and your friendship as an adult. I pray that I may have the same relationship with my children that I enjoy with you. I love you.