on Mother's Day.

This year is my very first Mother's day (well, at least the first that I'm actually a mother), so this year I appreciate my mom more than ever. Like never before, I understand the joys and the pains I've brought to her life--and it's made me think a little more about the ways my mom has really impacted my life. So, here's to my mom, who always told me that I could do anything I wanted, so long as I was willing to work for it. Who always pointed out my talents and strengths and always encouraged me to be the absolute best--but who showed me every single day, through the owiees, the 1,071 "pretty pictures", the tears, the endless loads of laundry, the chickenpox, the sticky kitchen floors (and the rice krispies that adhere like super-glue to every surface they come in contact with), through the utter failures, and the tiny victories that she always managed to make seem like the most supreme--that what she did was better. It was better than anything else I could ever aspire to do. So thank you, Mom, for working so hard. Thank you for your patience, your wisdom, your guidance, and your forgiveness when I ignored them all. I hope it pays off somehow when I say that the truth is, Mom, I just want to be you.