May is for Moms

It’s May, which means the end of the school year is right around the corner. It also means it’s time for one of the most important events of the year, NASCAR’s Coca Cola 600, ah hem, I mean Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day is the one day each year that we celebrate moms and everything they mean to us. Moms are who bring us into this world, and frequently remind us that they could also take us out.

The best quality about moms is that they are always their children’s number one fan. I know my mom is. Not to rub it in on my two brothers and my sister, but her email address starts with DJ Momma. Kidding aside, I know that my mom has no favorite and is the biggest fan of each one of us. My sister Stacy holds the spot on the Facebook cover photo. My mom roots for NASCAR driver Tony Stewart, because Stuart is my brother’s name. Finally, there is my brother Scott who gets the most leeway when it comes to teasing and pranking her. My mom is known for saying that we are the first, second, third and fourth greatest things that ever happened to her.

Moms are also known for having the kind of patience that would impress even a Zen master. We are blessed to have a patient mom who even though she got very little sleep due to working and taking care of us, rarely showed her frustrations. We weren’t exactly little angels. It took me to the age of 12 before I could tie my shoes. It isn’t easy finding Velcro shoes in a men’s size nine but my mom did. (I might be exaggerating slightly there but you get the point).

It’s one thing to be patient when your kids are young. It’s another when they are grown. Nothing says patience more than allowing one of your grown kids to move back in with you as an adult. Three out of the four of us did that at some point, and a couple of us returned home for a while on more than one occasion.

A good mom also has a great sense of humor. I’ve embarrassed my mom more times than I can remember. One favorite memory that makes me laugh every time happened at a Red Lobster. I was 4 or 5 years old. Being the independent young man that I was, I demanded to go the bathroom by myself. After 10 minutes in the restroom, my mom was getting worried. She sent my older brother Scott to find out what had happened to me. I had locked myself in the stall and couldn’t get it to open. My brother’s solution was to have me crawl out under the door. When we got back to the table, my mom asked what had happened. At the top of my lungs I yelled, "I went, but there wasn’t any toilet paper! And then I broke door!" Everyone in the restaurant started laughing, including my mom who said, "Please tell me you used some toilet paper before you left the bathroom." I hadn’t.

Mom, no matter how hard I try, no matter what I do, I would never be able to show you how much I appreciate you and everything you’ve done for me. Happy Mother’s Day!