Mother Knows Best

 

“A mother is your first friend, your best friend, and your forever friend….”

-Unknown

 

Normally, these blog posts and essays start with a quote from Demons Within that directly ties into the topic and themes of what I write. However, due to the nature and content of the Demons Within story, in most cases when the word mother is written, it is immediately followed by the word fucker.

And that, my friends, is not what I’m going for today.

In an upcoming essay, I talk about the importance of starting your day with gratitude, and every day, I thank God that He woke me up and gave me another twenty four hours to do what needs to be done. But immediately after giving God thanks, I always reflect on how grateful I am to have my mom.

I’m grateful for my mom because she isn’t just my mom, she’s one of my best friends, my staunchest and most loyal supporter, and the emotional backbone to my entire family when things started to get bad. She provided the holding place for everyone’s feelings, and did whatever she could to keep others from being hurt. When I was spiraling to the darkness, and the bottom of my rock bottom was quickly approaching, she was the trampoline on the floor that bounced me back to life.

And no matter how much shit I put my family and myself through, my mom, like most mothers, is forgiving. One of the most valuable gifts she has given me is leading by example, and teaching me how to open my heart and drop my resentments. That alone would make me feel grateful every day, but it barely scratches the surface.

It’s often said that ‘mother’ is a verb, and the natural state of motherhood is unselfishness. And I couldn’t agree more. Before we are even born, mothers have to put up with all the challenges of pregnancy, and I will never understand how they do it. I can’t even function if I overdo it at the Italian Club Breakfast Buffet, so how mothers can handle nine months of bearing a child is beyond comprehension. And that’s before the kid is even born, and before the real mothering begins.

My mom never made me feel like I needed to earn her love, and she was always there for me. Getting involved at school, packing lunches, doing laundry, cooking and cleaning, driving me to out-of-state basketball tournaments (and oftentimes getting lost), putting up with my bad behavior in school, and a million other things that I can’t recall as I’m writing this. What I do recall though, is that raising me was a full time job. And that is ridiculous to think about now, because my mom had an actual full time job the whole time. How she did it, I don’t know. I can humbly say that I would’ve given up on me, especially before I found my path and started to live life with love and purpose...but maybe even sooner. 

It’s no coincidence that we feel so calm, peaceful, and spiritually nourished when we get to spend some time in nature. When we breathe in and exhale the fresh air, we experience the kind of energy that touches us at the root level of feeling safe and cared for. And that is why it is called Mother Nature. Because that kind of energy is only ever replicated by a mother’s love.

A mother’s eyes and ears see and hear everything. And you can rest assured that they will give their opinion on everything they see and hear. When you’re a kid, and even when you’re an adult, you may not like some of your mother’s opinions. But they don’t say ‘Mother knows best’ for no reason.

From the moment we’re born, mothers work hard and make sacrifices so our lives will be better, and it is certainly not just when we are babies. Because mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but they hold their hearts forever. No matter what your age, you will always need your mom. And that’s just facts.

So make Mother’s Day special for her. It’s difficult for words to express what needs to be expressed to the person who helped you walk and talk, fed and clothed you, and gave you everything she possibly could, no matter the cost. But, I did my best, and will continue to do so for as long as I live.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.

Thank You.

 

Mill P