Trying to describe my mom seems impossible to me. Having to condense a lifetime of experiences and feelings into a few short paragraphs, and it being adequate is hardly reasonable. But, here I go anyway.
A mother of two and a grandmother of four, my mom enjoys being surrounded by family. She's never been one to sit around the house. She would rather do anything but!! That includes, gardening, hiking, playing with the kids, canoeing, swimming down at the lake, fishing, or baking goodies for others to devour.
Life hasn't always been easy, as we all have our load to carry, my mom has had a heavier load than most. She has seldom complained, and taught us that if you just keep moving forward life has a way of working things out. Her perseverance over obstacles, and passion for life is infectious, she contains more moxie than most women I know and it has rubbed off on many.Always putting others first, as moms often do, she has sacrificed much more than she needed to so that we were able to participate in anything we wished. She encouraged us to try everything we were interested in and some we weren't. Mom never told us no because she didn't have the money or time. She just made both. Instead she would get another job and switched schedules around so she could pay for what we needed. She never missed a track/swim meet,hockey game,ski meet etc. even if this meant driving us to other states(which she did many times). Now, being a mother myself I have no idea how after my dad died she managed to raise two unruly teen girls on her own, work, and put herself through collage but she did.
My mom never ceases to amaze me!! Maybe its because she is so persistent(read stubborn), and maybe its because she just never sits still. Instead, choosing to move forward with an enthusiastic and positive attitude that could make Richard Simmons look like the Grinch. And maybe its because even when she is faced with a disease that is devastating to most, she still wears a smile, then puts the feelings and concerns of others first. She stands like a strong redwood among soft birch trees. She can not be taken down by kidney disease, she has more important things to do. She still has mountains to climb, gardens that need planting, kids games to cheer on, graduations to attend, and a whole lot of life left to live!!!
