To A Very Special Mom

Dear Brielle,

Hope this card finds you well and in good spirits! We missed you on Thanksgiving, but you were having the time of your life visiting the most amazing sites! I am so happy that you have these wonderful opportunities.

Life is short-I still remember being your age- I thought I would never grow old.

So my dear…

LIVE, LIVE, LIVE

(but be careful)

All my love,

Mom

This was only one of the many cards I have received from my mom since I started my service in the Peace Corps. Now, I want to start off by saying that I really do have an amazing set of parents, but this is a Mother’s Day post (so Dad, don’t think I don’t love you as much).

My mom has always been my biggest supporter and my biggest fan. I started doing competitive gymnastics in elementary school. My dad had just opened up two pizzerias and was very busy providing for our family, and my mom spent her days driving me to and from school, to gymnastics practices and to and from gymnastics meets (hours away).  Now, realize, I’m not an only child…so throw another child’s schedule into the mix. My mom, rarely ever missed a gymnastics meet, always packed me a lunch for school and helped me with all my school projects (which were always the best in the class thanks to her artistic abilities).

Since I’ve been in Perú, the little things that I did with my mom when I was younger I think about often. Perú loves playing repeats of the show Friends- a show I watched religiously with my mom as a child.

I spent a lot of my last couple of months in America spending time with my mom during the day, whether it was going for walks (mostly  forced), watching Bravo, going to California Pizza Kitchen or sitting in Starbucks. I have slowly seen my relationship with my mom grow, though she is still very much a parent, I consider her a friend. Had you asked my angst filled 13 year-old self if I thought that was possible, I would have said no (with some expletives thrown in there), but more and more as I grow up I realize how blessed I am to have her as a mom.

My mom has dedicated her life to giving her children the best she could, and I owe my strength and passion for seeing the world to her. Because of both of my parents I have been giving the ability to study abroad in high school, attend the college of my choice (WE ARE) and live my dream as a Peace Corps volunteer. This journey through my service hasn’t been easy, but because of them I don’t feel alone in my daily struggles or successes.

She may not know it yet, but she has been the perfect role model for me. I will be a better person and mother because of her.

So Mom, I want you to know, that I am grateful beyond words for all that you’ve done for me. I hope you know that none of it has gone unnoticed. I was given a childhood people can only dream of. I have never felt unloved or alone because of you. So, thank you, for being my mom and for being so good at it J.

I love you.

"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life." 
- Abraham Lincoln

Always your little girl,

Brielle