My mother turns sixty-four today!! This has always been a special birthday for both of us because of our mutual adoration of the Beatles. Today I want to write a special blog just for her!
While it is a beautiful miraculous thing, the reality is that birthing a baby is not unique. It may be special and wonderful but the hard core facts are that nearly every woman in the western world can have a baby with today's technologies (that i am ever so grateful for!). I know there are thpse that disagree but historically it has happened for thousands of years. However, while most women can birth a baby and even love a baby it takes a special kind of woman to be a mother.
A woman who not only loves her children but does all she can to raise them to be contributing, active citizens in society. A woman who never let her own insecurities or problems take priority over raising her children. A woman who can honestly say without doubt that they did everything they could to give their children everything they needed whether that was love or limitations (depending on the day). A woman who never at any time put herself, her needs, or her wants above her children. My mother is without a doubt that person. Even if we didn't always understand it, from the moment she was a mother every action she took was in an effort to make our lives better. I have witnessed all three of us make her cry at young and old ages and yet she never loved us less or left our side if we needed her. I have stayed up all night on one of the many nights she wasn't sure if she would be a widow in the morning and heard her speak worries more for us than for her. She continues to be there anytime we call for surgeries, childcare, or just a visit.
As an adult I have realized how essential this role is knowing friends
and loved ones who did not have a mother who loved and nurtured them. I see students in this situation daily. I've witnessed it be one of the hardest things for some to move past or deal with. It is not an easy job and I know how lucky I am to have my mother. I know how extremely lucky Thomas for me to have her as an example of how to be a mother.
So on today and everyday, thank you Barbara Ann Blanchard-Jackson. Thank you for working to make sure we had what we needed even when it interfered with your dreams for you. Thank you for taking time in the midst of cleaning and cooking to spend time with all of us, help with homework, play make believe, or read us books. Thank you for supporting us even when you don't always agree with our decisions. Thank you for sticking by us and always being the glue that holds our family together. Thank you for loving us as babies, children, teenagers (especially), and adults. Thank you for loving our children and being an active grandmother. Thank you for being the best mother and grandmother you could be.
