Mom

There are so few people in your life that truly know you. Not just the surface you, but the actual person you are at the deepest level of your soul. The people that make up in your inner core that can tell from the way you answer the phone if something is wrong.

For me, my mom is that person.

She can tell within a second of talking to me if I’m worried about something or upset. She knows exactly what makes me tick. She’s the one who has seen me at my best and my absolute worst. Her love is so unconditional and devoted. It’s a love that I never even understood until I had my own children. There is literally nothing I could do that my mom would not have my back.

My mom is the person who has taught me everything. I would not be where I’m at without my mom. I watched my mom’s entire world get turned upside down when she lost my dad at the age of 43. I remember people telling her she was so strong. They would tell her they didn’t know how she was doing it, but I remember her saying, “I have two kids. I can’t just curl up in a ball.” I know she wanted to, but she never did. She taught my sister and me both how to pick up the broken pieces of your life and forge ahead. She would tell us that our life may be different, but it was not bad and no matter what we have a lot to be grateful for.

My mom is and always has been the epitome of what makes a house a home. My mom is what makes a yard a garden. My mom is what makes a trip a cherished memory. My mom is what makes a gift a treasure. My mom takes a holiday and turns it into a tradition. My mom is what makes a table setting an atmosphere. My mom is the heart of our family. She is our nucleus. She is our home base. She is the direction our compass takes us when we need to figure things out. My mom is generous, kind, intelligent, funny, beautiful, and talented.

My mom will tell you exactly what she thinks. She is a spitfire. My mom is gentle, yet fierce. My mom taught me that true love exists, and fairy tales are not just in the movies. My mom has taught me how to love a man without ever losing myself. My mom has supported me in my career, and most importantly, my journey in motherhood. My mom never judges me.

My mom raised me to know Jesus and to lean on Him in all times of my life. My mom taught me how to be a mom. There have been so many laughs and tears. My mom and I have fought and forgiven. I have her back and she has mine.

My mom is the one who sends me things with captions like, “There is nobody else I could send this to besides your sister.” I’m not sure what that says about my sister and me, but I am glad she feels that way. There is nothing I cannot say to my mom.

The only time my mom doesn’t have my back is when I’m complaining about one of her grandchildren. AKA my own children. In that case, I’m most definitely wrong because it isn’t possible that one of her grandchildren did something wrong. Then it’s definitely my fault and she doesn’t have my back. Besides that, she will defend me to the grave. My mom is my best friend, and I love her very much.

Happy birthday, Mom!

Megan Rathz is a wife, mother, and teacher. She says everything she has ever learned in life came from her Master Gardener mother.