Being : Super Woman - A Mother's Love

Every year we are given one day to celebrate the person who brought us into this world. If you ask me, we need about 364 more of these days. With every year that passes, Mother’s Day means so much more to me because I continue to understand how much my mother has been through and everything she has done for my family. The purpose of this blog post is to appreciate all of our mothers, but I especially want to give a shout out to my number one fan and biggest supporter. 

My mom has been my best friend for (almost!) 25 years. I know it sounds cliché, but for me, there isn’t a truer statement. She knows me better than anyone and has guided me through the many ups and downs in my life. I wanted to share a little bit of our story with you all as Mother’s Day comes around again. So, let’s start from the beginning.

 My mom has always had a full time job of raising me, along with my older brother and sister. From the day I can remember, she would wake up hours before us, making sure our breakfast was ready and on the table, along with our vitamins, and our lunches for school were set to go. My favorite mornings were those where we would get to have original Cheerios and she would sprinkle just a *little* bit of sugar on top for us to enjoy. (That is until she left the room and we would add our own personal amount of sugar to the bowl.) She would drive us to school and send us off with a heart full of joy each morning. It wasn’t until I was older that she told me how she would pray for her children and her husband each and every morning, for our safety, well-being, successes, and more.

As years went on, my siblings and I found more and more activities that we loved. From basketball to soccer, cheerleading to dance, and school musicals to running for class president. Oh, and don’t forget my mom having a front row seat to helping guide my dad into starting his own business. My family was always being pulled in a million directions. Without fail, my mom would be present at every single event, always going above and beyond. As we got older and things got crazier, it could have been easy for us to get lost in the shuffle. But not with my parents. No matter what was happening through the week, my parents made sure we got together every Sunday morning to go to church, followed by plenty of good laughs and meaningful conversations over a family lunch.

I once heard someone say, “Life doesn’t come with a manual, it comes with a Mother.” I’m considering making that my life motto. I have a million stories of when my mom saved the day or gave me confidence in a moment of weakness, but I’d have to write a book to tell all of them. When I think about what molded me into the woman I am today, nearly every story leads back to my mother.

For one, she would constantly remind me that people’s opinions of me will come and go. They might be positive or, unfortunately, they might be negative. But the judgement or opinions that come from strangers, peers, or even family, will never come close to the endless love and support that God gives me. I’ve spent most of my life in entertainment, but let’s just say the world of entertainment is one that can drain you mentally and physically. Time and time again, I’ve received “no” as an answer, whether it be because I wasn’t good enough, my talents weren’t strong enough, or any other excuse I would receive. No matter what the criticism was, my mom was always there to tell me otherwise. She would build my spirits back up and pray with me for extra strength. One of my favorite things about my mother (and father too), is that she would never allow me to sit in self-pity based off of someone else’s opinion. There was never a moment when it was OK for me to feel sorry for myself, because any sudden change of direction or closed door in my life was God working his magic. It was Him telling me there was something better around the corner, and I just couldn’t see it yet. Let me tell you firsthand, when you allow God to take the driver’s seat in your life, you become even more grateful for the little things in life. You start to notice every single thing He is working on and can feel Him paving your path right in front of you. This is something I was reminded of each and every day because of my mother, and it is a trait I cannot wait to pass on to my own children one day.

Since I can remember, my parents have encouraged me to dream. It is through my dreams that I learned how powerful the love for a child can be. The sacrifices made as parents can be life-altering and I will forever be grateful for the sacrifices my mother made for me. To put it quite bluntly, she up-rooted her entire life in St. Louis and moved to Los Angeles with me right before my 15^th birthday… WHAT?! This is still mind-blowing to me. I cannot fathom what must have been going through my parent’s head when they chose to do long distance with each other, move their youngest halfway across the country, and still, to this day, support her every step of the way.

Every time I tell this story, it makes me emotional. As a 15-year-old, I didn’t understand what this truly meant for my family. It changed everyone’s life and it was all because I had a dream that I felt God was calling me to. I promise I will share our moving story and how it all came to be in another blog post. For this one, I just have to say how cool it is to have your mom as a roommate. The first summer we lived in LA, we had a studio apartment where we would jam out to the Jonas Brothers on the daily, we experienced our first California earthquake together, and explored a city that was brand new to the both of us. Most importantly though, my mom helped me navigate through an industry that went way over my head. She learned the ins and outs and kept me safe through each new experience, while also keeping me entertained through a few years of online classes. Our Los Angeles experience was absolutely amazing. And even though my parents have been back in St. Louis for a few years now, I still ask for my mom’s advice, opinions, and guidance nearly every day.

At this point in my life, I am still learning and realizing how important being a mother is. I feel like it is the hardest job a person can hold. Every hour of the day and every day of the week, you are able to impact your child’s life, helping teach them what is truly important, and give them the life skills needed to make it on their own and one day raise a family of their own. Essentially, my mom is my personal super woman. If you ask me what one of my biggest goals in life is, I will say that I hope to be as great of a mother as my mom was to me and my siblings. My big sister is succeeding perfectly and I can’t wait to follow in her footsteps.

I will never truly understand the sacrifices made when you become a mother until God blesses me with one of my own. But in the meantime, I will soak up every second I can, learning from my own mother, taking notes along the way, and praying every single day that I will be able to conquer this job as effortlessly and gracefully as mine did.

Thank you, mom. For loving me endlessly and supporting me through all of my dreams, no matter how crazy it may be.  Happy Mother’s Day.

“Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Proverbs 31:28-29