"That's my grandma" Emma stated to her friends at swim lessons today as she pointed to my mom. The pride of a three year old.
Emma loves my mom (as she does her Puna-Clark's mom) and my mom loves her.
My mom has not had an easy life which prevented her from raising my brother and I. You could say while I was growing up my relationship with her was strained to say the least.
We (my brother and I) financially supplemented what my mom made since we had jobs as teenagers. My mom works hard at minimum wage jobs that offer little or no medical care. Her take home wages barely cover rent, car or gas which at times has to led to some really difficult periods (that no one should ever have to endure but so many people do).
What Mom lacks in needs or wants she gives from the heart. When Mom did not have a car, she would somehow figure out by herself the public transit to our house and that was to just to get a hug and a 5 minute conversation from us. My mom did not care, it meant the world to her to be around her kids and know they were fine.
Now that I have Emma I understand. I understand and appreciate more than ever the love that exists between a child and a mom. Since the birth of Emma, my mom and I get along better and it is the relationship between her and Emma that has created this.
And now when Emma proudly says "That's my grandma" to her friends, I then say to the friend's parents, "Let me introduce you to my mom." You see it is from the pride of a three year old I have learned much.
YOU ARE AWESOME TO RECOGNIZE THIS! I am so proud of you, and your willingness to grow like this as a person and to share it openly. Having the reunion with my mother's biological brother last weekend, has made them both question how a mother could let children go and never make the effort to contact them later, to want to be a part of their lives in some way. Being a mother, myself, I cannot imagine the answer to that. I understand your mother's efforts for you, in spite of her challenging circumstances. That is a true love!
ReplyDeleteI still remember how cute your mom was at your wedding when she came up to me, beaming, saying "I'm the mother of the bride!" I know how hard everything has been on that road, and I'm so glad that she is a part of your family now.
ReplyDeletewow, wow, wow...you are great!!!
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