It sank in over the course of years, and many wonderful memories, that I am a lucky girl because I have one of the best moms in the world. I won the mom lottery.
She taught me so many things spoken and unspoken. How to love, how to respect and treat others the way you would like to be treated. She taught me that beauty is only skin deep and what matters is what's inside a person. She taught me to be open-minded and how to share. She raised me to not automatically be destined to became a typical member in the only child club.
Being her only child, how easy it would have been for her to be selfish and not let me go out of state for college because it was too far from home, too far from her. But, instead of holding me back, she gave me the gift of wings, knowing that with a bond like ours, distance doesn't matter.
Last year, with me heading to move farther away than anyone could have ever imagined, instead of clipping those wings with her own opinions, doubts or guilt trips, she gave me another gift. She gave me even bigger, stronger wings. Ones that could carry all the weight of the initial sadness and stress. These wings were so large that they made me proud to realize with them I can do anything I set my mind to. Yep, with these new wings I realized how strong I really can be. They also had a very special power. I could actually feel myself grow inside when I put them on.
They gave me a new sense of freedom and also made me realize what I have suspected about myself all along; independence is something that I need in order to feel alive and balanced. She realized that on the first day of kindergarten when she showed up to greet me after school and I quickly let her know, with a hand on my hip, that I wanted to walk home by myself. Her heart felt sad as the other kids grabbed their parent's hands for the walk home but she put a smile on her face and let me go ahead, staying a safe distance behind as I tried out my first solo flight. I still have that 5 year old girl's spirit. But, what's different now is that I realize what a gift it is to give someone you love wings. I could never have made this move 8,000 miles from home without them.
Thank you mom, for showing me what it means to love someone with all your heart. In that way you actually feel your chest deep inside ache with that overwhelming love. Their happiness becomes more important than your own. I feel that love for my special boys. I am trying to teach them as you taught me and even though it's not easy, I've already started to give them the best gift you ever gave me. Wings.
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