For My Mom

I want to extend a very special thank you to my mom, Arline Munson. Without her, I would not be the awesome mom that I am, because I learned how to be that from her. I also learned how to be creative, how to see things that others might not see, how to love unconditionally, and how to pinch with my toes. 

Erma Bombeck once said there are two kinds of mothers.

There is the kind of mom who can't have a breath mint at two a.m. without waking her kids up to share it with. My mom is that kind of mom. I can remember her waking us up in the middle of the night and giving us cheese and crackers or toast. "I'm hungry, so eat." She always made sure we had everything we needed and a few things that might not be necessities in life, but were lots of fun! 

Then there is the kind of mother who will eat an entire grocery sack full of Halloween candy. When her kids come home from school and find her passed out on the sofa in a sugar induced coma, she will look them straight in the eye and say, "The mice ate your candy. I tried to save it, but was too late." I tend to be more of that kind of mom! (Only when it comes to chocolate!)

My mother is one of the most talented women that I know. She can take two potatoes and an onion and feed 20 people. I get my artistic talents from her as well as my love for reading. I also get my sarcastic nature from her. I also get my backbone, perseverance, and love of life from her. She taught me to enjoy every moment of every day, even if it isn't filled with joy. Mom taught me that it is okay to cry when you feel like crying. I remember the Folgers commercial where the boy comes home from college. We cried like babies!  

I also get my sense of adventure from her. There were a few times when we decided on the spur of the moment to take a road trip. Now, that road trip could have been as short as going only a few miles, finding a stream and fishing with cane poles. Or, we could have ended up in Missouri, or Oklahoma, or Michigan. You just never knew where the wind would take us.

I think most of all, what I learned from my mom, was how to love someone. Whether it was your kids, your family, or your friends. You love unconditionally, with unparalleled ferocity. Your kids are perfect, even when they're behaving imperfectly. 

So thank you, mamma. For all you have ever done for me and my kids. Thank you for letting me grocery shop in your pantry when I didn't have money for groceries. Thank you for spoiling my children and now my grandchildren. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for being such a beautiful role-model for me. 

I love you mom!

Suzie