Thank you, Mom

Happy Mother's Day! A lot of feel you are struggling to do a good job with your own brood, and don't even realize that the way you support your mama friends is helping their children grow too. Thank you!

I got to spend the day with the two most important mothers in my life. I was looking forward to getting Sherri's advice about the house, and how to get it market-ready. She was a huge help- she validated some of the ideas I had, and gave me lots of expert advice that I would have never come up with on my own. But that's secondary to the fact that she raised Chip to be the man I fell in love with. That's really what we were celebrating today. Thank you!

I got to spend time with my mom today, without any of the kids around. The comfortable way we hang out together is something I take for granted, but I'm so thankful to have it. I told her about one of the things that Shannon admires in her, but I didn't really have the right moment to tell her how much she means to me. So much about who I am comes directly from her- from the way I love my kids to the way I dress. I know women who fear turning into their mothers, and I guess I did to. But I'm glad that I have! It happened seemingly overnight, when Connor was born. Suddenly I knew that my inner Sandra had been waiting inside of me to emerge at this moment. And my kids are luckier for it.

Not to long ago, I had my "aha!" moment regarding my mom. It was Thanksgiving, and a friend of Mom's was spending it with us because her family was going to be away that weekend. As we do every year, we wanted to make sure everyone had a place to be on that special day. This friend had recently had surgery, and over after-dinner coffee she talked about how impressed she was with Mom's friendship during that difficult time. "She came to the hospital, and sat with my son for hours until the surgery was over! I was shocked to find she was still there, and so glad to know my son hadn't been alone." I was really surprised- not that my mom had done that, but that someone found it extraordinary. Because in my mind, that's just what you do. And in that moment, I realized: that's just what we do, my mom and I- that's the example she had always set, and I didn't know any different. Being a good friend is one of the few things I really love about myself. And suddenly, at age 33, I realized that I hadn't just woken up one day as this person. I am my mother's daughter. And I couldn't be more proud. Thank you, Mom.