264 : I Think I Have a New Best Friend (A Love Letter to My Mom)

I am one of those lucky women who can say they have a wonderful relationship with their mom. Growing up, I just assumed everyone had this, but I know now that is not the case. Throughout my life, my mom has always been there for me. She has always encouraged me to believe in myself which is how I became the confident, strong woman I am today. She has been supportive and influential and has taught me the important things in life by her example. My mom can do it all. I’ve watched her take care of her own mother, my dad, my siblings and I and her grandchildren all within the same day. She is generous. Kind. Loving. And she can do it all – did I already say that? She is creative. She can cook. She can sew! I don’t think they make them like this anymore. I am lucky to have her for so many reasons- far more than I can articulate. When I got married, my mom gave me one piece of advice:

You are responsible for your own happiness.

She gave the same advice to my sister and my brother. She never wanted us to be dependent on our spouses for that happiness and she was right. In my case in particular, it was probably one of the best things she ever could have told me. We have always been close, but definitely grew closer when I started my own family.  Becoming a mother made me understand and appreciate the sacrifices my own mother made all the more.  And the investment. Aside from my then husband, there was nobody else in the world that was as invested in my children and my personal well being as my mom was. And still is for that matter. From the moment my son was born she was there. She asked all the questions. She let me gush about my kids again and again. She let me share far more details than one should express and she was just as interested every time. She adored them with the same intensity that I did. When my marriage began to fall apart, I found that I had support from everyone but nobody stood as tall by my side as my mom. We had always been in regular communication but suddenly we began talking daily. And even multiple times a day. Some days I needed to cry. Some days I needed to laugh. It never really mattered what I needed and I never had to explain myself. She was just there for me, no matter what. She listened. She validated my feelings. She gave me reassurance that things would eventually get better. She was more than just my mom, she had become my best friend.  I still had no idea what direction my life was headed in but I knew but I knew my mom was right: I was responsible for my own happiness.  I would find it.