This is to the mama

It's tough thinking of someone who has truly made your life worth living. Someone who makes you want to keep going no matter what, even when you basically feel like you have hit so rock bottom that there is no way to ever get up again. That's a lot of pressure on one person. When I started thinking about it I could think of a bunch of people from my friends and my family, but none of them mattered as the woman who gave me life and who continues to inspire me everyday.

This is for you, mom!

My mother, Claire, is a very special woman. I may want to kill her every now and again, but what healthy mother-daughter relationship doesn't have that feeling sometimes? She works hard and does the best she can. Whenever she has a bad day she may get angry and vent, but it's usually funny just because she's got that type of humor.

She works as a secretary at the local high school but she just graduated from college. She received her degree in post-secondary integrated language arts. (A.K.A.- High School English teacher.) She started going back to school when I was in the fifth or sixth grade and I know it was hard for her. She never gave up though, even when she thought she wouldn't graduate when she had planned. This gave me such inspiration. Whenever I feel like I can't do this, or this is too hard, I just think of my mom going back to school to pursue her dreams of being a teacher.

When I was growing up, we didn't have a lot of money. My dad didn't really do the whole child-support thing like he should have but my mom always did her best. She worked a couple of jobs and worked hard to make ends meet. Even though she was busy trying to keep us afloat money-wise, she always made time for me and my brother. I never noticed that we didn't have a lot because I never wanted for anything. We went to the pool in the summer and sledding in the winter. We always saw our family and we always had fun.

She shows me everyday that giving up is the wrong thing to do. She has taught me so much in the past twenty years and I know I have tons more to learn from her. So, I love you, Mom!!! You rock my socks! :D



[I think she might kill me for this picture...but she should let me take her picture more often]