Saturday, May 7, 2011

gratitude day 13: mom



"It is interesting that today, decades later, when life seems particularly overwhelming or frightening or just downright scary, I call Mother and listen for her to say, “Sheri, you can do it.” A mother’s influence not only spans decade, it reaches into the eternities." -Sheri Dew

During my last trip home to Arizona, I was crying because someone didn't like me.* In the midst of my carrying on, mom walked over to me, kissed the top of my head, and said, "Rachel, I love you and know you are wonderful." And just like that I felt okay—like I was three years-old with a scrape on my knee and I needed my mom to kiss it better.

My mom is a calligrapher, water color painter, cook, nurturer, the life of the party.

Matriarch.

I love her. I am so grateful to have her as a mother. How did she survive me?

*It's a long story, in which I acted like I was in junior high and my mother loved me anyway.

5 comments:

  1. i just posted the same photo of mom (much smaller, but still)... she's pregnant with you, right?

    i loved this. i love you. thanks for being a great sister and example of a mother to me.

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  2. Your mom is amazing, and now I realize that on my comment to Jana's fb post, I should have said that mom & her sis's are THREE peas in a pod. I guess I was just agreeing with David's comment and thinking of that dear Aunt Jana. I love that the 3 of them are this little cluster together at the end of the family. And that they sound alike. It's so adorable and sweet.

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  3. You look a lot like your mom. I can't wait for Father's Day so I can see a picture of you dad to see how their genes meshed to make you. :)

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  4. mom is pretty awesome. i'm grateful for her birthing and surviving all of us so i can have 8 of the coolest siblings. :)

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  5. Rachel, I didn't know you had a blog.

    You look so much like your mom.

    I love all your beautiful photographs and your lovely, clever writing.

    xoxo
    Amanda

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