I got to spend an evening with my mother this week.
She texted me and said impromptu dinner? And I was so excited to say yes. You see, my mother is the person to go out of her way, above and beyond, and all around the sweetest woman I know.
I think I spoke about this before, probably definitely have. But the most admirable thing about my mother to me is her dedication to consistently grow and her intentionality about staying connected to her seven children.
I don’t remember the moment that we all have as adults, when we realize our parents are just people too. But, I think I was in undergrad when my mom and I grew significantly close. I am one of those people that what you see is what you get. And growing into my adulthood I tried my best not to hide who I was from my mother, even if inevitably they were things she was not going to be a fan of. My biggest mission was just allowing my mother to see me and in order to do so I had to show her the good, the bad, the ugly, and the annoying, to let the both of us choose if we wanted a friendship outside of mother and daughter.
Besides the Lord and my husband, my mom is at the very top of my list. She is kind, soft, resilient, beautiful, determined, and intelligent.
The life she’s lived I literally could not even imagine. And with all she’s been through, she does it with such a grace that when I’m in my dark moments or wanting to cuss someone out, I think of her patience and her goodness and how she navigates in this world. I often say to myself, “mom is too nice.” I know she lives a life of faith and her relationship with God is what carries her which is forever inspiring.
She does the work. To grow, to change, to impact– and if you know her, then you know it too. She’s one of those people that you can feel the light coming from her. She does everything deep in love.
I’m blessed to be her daughter.
So when I got to spend the night with my mom, getting dinner on a beautiful evening, laughing without restraint, walking around the city, waiting in a much too long line for some Sweet Charlie’s ice cream, running to our hasty Uber, and receiving a sewing lesson because my button fell off my pants, these are the things I would never replace.
I am so fortunate to have been raised, loved, and protected by a woman like her.
So mommy, you are reading this, thank you.
Love,
JMoore
6/30
What a nice blog