because she made the choice to become my dearest friend...
High school is hard. Well, for some people it is. For some, it's great. For me, high school was okay. I didn't love it, and I didn't hate it. But those 4 years definitely weren't my years. They were really hard years. There were many tears. Many, many, many tears. Mostly over dumb boys. Lack thereof, I should say. But there were lots of tears over lost friends. Over feeling left out. Tears for wanting to be wanted. Tears for feeling like I wasn't good enough, pretty enough, fun enough. Of course, I look back now and see that it was 4 serious years of character molding, character building. And looking back now, I'm so grateful that those 4 years went the way they did. Had they been different, I would have missed out on developing one of the biggest blessings in my life.
It started my freshman year. Kids are cruel. Of course, it's always about dumb stuff, isn't it? Mean for no reason. Honestly, there really is never a good reason to be mean - kid or not- but it's amazing how quickly they turn on one another. For some people, this doesn't stop with age. But it's things that make us hang our heads in shame as adults when we realize how petty we were. And for a really dumb reason, my freshman year was horrible. I went from having a group of friends to having about two good friends by the end of the year. This set the tone for the rest of my high school career, but that year was filled with mean emails. That's right, emails. With mean instant messages. (Does that even exist anymore?) With being shunned, talked about, and left out. And during this year as my mom watched my heart break, as she watched my feelings pour from my eyes on a regular basis, she decided that she was going to do something about it. She wasn't going to call anyone's mom and tattle. That never works, especially when many of said behaviors are learned. She wasn't going to ignore my pain or tell me to just keep trying to plead my way back into acceptance. She decided that she would be my friend. That she would hang out with me. That we would have our own fun. If they didn't want to hang out with me, well, she sure did. In fact, I'll never forget the night that I somehow thought I was invited to catch a ride to an out of town basketball game. I was hoping that I could find a way back into others' good graces, and when I discovered that I had been tricked into thinking I was invited, she said, "Get in the car right now! We're going to that game!" And we drove to that little town and entered a basketball gym full of surprised faces. I knew she had my back, and that year the most beautiful friendship began to form.
It didn't take me long to realize that hanging out with my mom was the way to go. I was never embarrassed to be seen with her. In fact, I wanted to spend time with her. I preferred spending my time with her. She may or may not have loved having a teenaged shadow, but she never made me feel like a burden. She always listened. She always knew exactly what to say. She genuinely cared, and she was genuinely interested. She found fun things for us to do to take my mind off of my high school worries. She worked so hard to make sure we had a boatload of fun opportunities and memories. And you know what, she didn't have to do that. It's not like I was the only one vying for her time and attention. She had a husband who needed her, a son who did, too. A job, a family, responsibilities. Let's be honest, no mom is ever sitting around thinking, "Gee, I sure wish I had something to keep me occupied." But she found a way, she made time. I don't know how she did it, but I'm glad she did. I'm glad that she took the opportunity to not only be my mom, but that she made the choice to also become my dearest friend.
Mom, your selflessness never ceases to amaze me. You are a true servant to everyone within arm's reach. To your family, your community, your students, your neighbors. You have blessed so many lives, more than you know. Thank you for always finding ways to make me feel special. For going above and beyond and doing more than asked, expected, or even required. For the many trips to the nail salon. For the frequent retail therapy trips as you have watched me try on insurmountable mounds of clothing and spoiled me with many great pieces. Thank you for celebrating all of the good things life brings along. For being the glue to bonds our family together. Thank you for being more than willing to help shoulder our burdens so we don't have to ever feel like we're walking through the valleys on our own. For knowing the right thing to say, and for knowing exactly when to say it. Thank you for never being too busy or too tired. Because I know you do a lot. A LOT. You work harder than any other woman I've ever known, and yet you balance life beautifully. You are a rare jewel, and all of our lives are the richer, the better, the sweeter because of you!
It started my freshman year. Kids are cruel. Of course, it's always about dumb stuff, isn't it? Mean for no reason. Honestly, there really is never a good reason to be mean - kid or not- but it's amazing how quickly they turn on one another. For some people, this doesn't stop with age. But it's things that make us hang our heads in shame as adults when we realize how petty we were. And for a really dumb reason, my freshman year was horrible. I went from having a group of friends to having about two good friends by the end of the year. This set the tone for the rest of my high school career, but that year was filled with mean emails. That's right, emails. With mean instant messages. (Does that even exist anymore?) With being shunned, talked about, and left out. And during this year as my mom watched my heart break, as she watched my feelings pour from my eyes on a regular basis, she decided that she was going to do something about it. She wasn't going to call anyone's mom and tattle. That never works, especially when many of said behaviors are learned. She wasn't going to ignore my pain or tell me to just keep trying to plead my way back into acceptance. She decided that she would be my friend. That she would hang out with me. That we would have our own fun. If they didn't want to hang out with me, well, she sure did. In fact, I'll never forget the night that I somehow thought I was invited to catch a ride to an out of town basketball game. I was hoping that I could find a way back into others' good graces, and when I discovered that I had been tricked into thinking I was invited, she said, "Get in the car right now! We're going to that game!" And we drove to that little town and entered a basketball gym full of surprised faces. I knew she had my back, and that year the most beautiful friendship began to form.
It didn't take me long to realize that hanging out with my mom was the way to go. I was never embarrassed to be seen with her. In fact, I wanted to spend time with her. I preferred spending my time with her. She may or may not have loved having a teenaged shadow, but she never made me feel like a burden. She always listened. She always knew exactly what to say. She genuinely cared, and she was genuinely interested. She found fun things for us to do to take my mind off of my high school worries. She worked so hard to make sure we had a boatload of fun opportunities and memories. And you know what, she didn't have to do that. It's not like I was the only one vying for her time and attention. She had a husband who needed her, a son who did, too. A job, a family, responsibilities. Let's be honest, no mom is ever sitting around thinking, "Gee, I sure wish I had something to keep me occupied." But she found a way, she made time. I don't know how she did it, but I'm glad she did. I'm glad that she took the opportunity to not only be my mom, but that she made the choice to also become my dearest friend.
Mom, your selflessness never ceases to amaze me. You are a true servant to everyone within arm's reach. To your family, your community, your students, your neighbors. You have blessed so many lives, more than you know. Thank you for always finding ways to make me feel special. For going above and beyond and doing more than asked, expected, or even required. For the many trips to the nail salon. For the frequent retail therapy trips as you have watched me try on insurmountable mounds of clothing and spoiled me with many great pieces. Thank you for celebrating all of the good things life brings along. For being the glue to bonds our family together. Thank you for being more than willing to help shoulder our burdens so we don't have to ever feel like we're walking through the valleys on our own. For knowing the right thing to say, and for knowing exactly when to say it. Thank you for never being too busy or too tired. Because I know you do a lot. A LOT. You work harder than any other woman I've ever known, and yet you balance life beautifully. You are a rare jewel, and all of our lives are the richer, the better, the sweeter because of you!
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