She's not an amazing musician who waves to the paparazzi from her BelAir home. She's not a red carpet celebrity with millions of followers on Twitter. She's not up for the Nobel Peace Prize and wouldn't be caught dead in an Emmy dress. She's never going to have her own reality show or shake hands with Bill Gates. She's not going to get on her private jet and fly to Paris just for dinner.
My mom is nothing special to you.
To me, my mom is the pinnacle of motherhood. She is the strongest, most beautiful woman I know. There isn't a soul on this planet or the next who can compare to my mother. She is my best friend, my mentor, and my whipping post. She can see my foul mood coming a mile away and head it off like a bull fighter. She can spot my sadness eons ahead of me and find just the right perspective to make it better. She can handle my wild, spontaneous outbursts with an even keel. She can recognize my self doubt before I even know it's crept up on me and diminish the problem with all the ease of a lioness. She can see the color of my soul through my gated eyes.
I admire too many qualities in my mother to list them all. How do I begin to talk about her integrity or patience? Her constant devotion to myself, my brothers and our families? What sentence can describe the adoration I see in her eyes when she looks at my dad? How can you begin to say a mere thank you to a woman who raised you in the fear and admonition of the Lord? When do you find the right word for a woman who once had no car, no telephone, not even a radio, believed her husband was going to disappear with their two sons leaving her alone and pregnant with you but firmly decided 'If I have to, it will be me and you against the world, little girl.'? How can you possibly find a word to describe that kind of woman? That type of mother?
My mother is an absolute treasure. A cornerstone. She houses a strength and love that can weather any storm. I have watched her sacrifice her life in favor of mine for 25 years. As her child, I have always been her priority. I've seen her struggle with how to be a parent. I've known her to make tough decisions that wouldn't be pleasant for me or her but in the end, I came out better. I learned. Despite giving her all to me, she has never resented me or felt deprived of her own life.
I am her life. She is my hero.
Strength and dignity are her clothing and she laughs at the time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also and he praises her.
Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.
Proverbs 31:25-29
