If you’ve ever met my mother, Kathy, you know she’s a freaking saint. She loves everyone like they’re her own. When you talk to her, she listens intently to what you have to say and asks questions because she’s genuinely interested. If you’re ever at her house, she makes sure you have something to eat or drink. And if you’re in a bind, she’s usually the first person to offer to help. She’s just an all-around amazing human, and I am so damn grateful and lucky she’s my mom. I don’t tell her nearly enough how much she means to me or thank her enough for all she does for me and Parker … and trust me, she does a whole hell of a lot. Seriously, I hit the jackpot with her.
It has been a long 14 days since my mom packed up and headed off on a road trip to Colorado with her sister, my Aunt Janis. They decided to go visit my Aunt Phyllis, their other sister, whose health has been on the decline for a few years and got significantly worse due to a recent stroke. Now, I’ve never known Aunt Janis to get on a plane and fly anywhere. For as long as I can remember, she and my Uncle Dave always drove wherever when they went on vacation. So, when my mom said they were taking this trip, I wasn’t all that surprised to learn they were taking Aunt Janis’ big conversion van on the road … I wasn’t that thrilled, either. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that my mom decided to take this trip because first, she needed to see her sister. Second, with Uncle Dave’s passing at the beginning of the year, this road trip was also good for my aunt. Third, Mom and Aunt Janis were able to hit up some pretty cool spots while away, like Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, Craters of the Moon in Idaho, and the Badlands in South Dakota. And fourth, my mom deserves to go on a trip whenever and to wherever she wants. After all, she is retired and should take time for her at every opportunity she gets. But the selfish part of me, the part that relies so heavily on her, really struggled with it. I have always been aware that my mom does a lot to help me and Parker out, but holy hell, this trip seriously opened my eyes wide to how much I really rely on my mom, not just for help with Parker, but life in general.
While technically I am a solo-parent, the amount of support I get from my mom makes it all very, very manageable. Since she has been on this trip, I have been straight exhausted and in bed by 8pm on most weeknights and I’m lucky if I make it to 9:30pm on weekends. Between work, school, Parker’s football schedule, volunteering, and everything else in-between (along with trying to keep my sanity), I have a newfound appreciation for all the stuff she does for me, as well as for all the things she did for me while growing up – from driving me to a friend’s house, to softball practice or a volleyball or softball game (when I didn’t have a license) to making sure the house was clean, laundry was done and dinner was on the table – Mom took care of all the things. And even though things are obviously a lot different from when my brother and I were younger and still living at home, Mom still goes above and beyond to help us when we ask. There simply aren’t enough words to express my gratitude for that. So, for now, I just want to say, “Thank you for helping me get through life, Mom. Your support and generosity mean more to mean than you’ll ever know.”
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