It’s been a long time since I put my fingers to the keyboard to write a post on my blog. Life seems to always get in the way of my ‘good intentions’ but as I sit here and the clock strikes midnight and begins Mother’s Day 2012 I find I am filled with many emotions and a need to write.
Like EVERYONE in the world I had a mother. She passed from this earth several years ago, but for 58 years she was here with me and cheering me on. Her life wasn’t always easy. She and my father had been engaged for five years and dated for many years prior to that. To this day I am so grateful to my mom, and my dad, for their decision to marry and bring me into the world.
My mom adored her children. I was an only child for almost 5 years and then my sweet sister, Janet was born. When I was 13 and in the 8th grade my brother David was born. I can remember as a young teen thinking…OH MY GOODNESS…now I know how this happens, how embarrassing that my mom is pregnant…I thought she was TOO OLD…at all of 38! Life had many hard years for my mom yet she never gave up. She always hung on to hope and love and she always, always believed in her kids and her marriage. We started to notice some ‘signs’ in mom when she was about the age I am now. She seemed ‘different’ and not quite her self. Soon we realized she had Alzheimer’s. It progressed quickly to the later stages, but given her age and otherwise good health we ‘lost’ her to us long before her heart stopped. It was a painful experience to spend her last ten days on this earth watching her go from us, but we know that now she is WHOLE and looking down on us and I so hope she is proud of what she sees.
When I became a mom on November 11th, 1975 I could hardly contain my joy. Rachael Elizabeth came into this world a month later than we thought she would and so the anticipation was BEYOND great to have her in our arms. She has always brought us so much joy as we’ve watched her grow from birth to adulthood. As a great Army daughter she proudly moved around the world with her nomadic family, went to 10 different schools before graduating High School and always managed to maintain that unquenchable Willey Family sense of adventure. Every report card started by saying how SWEET Rachael is. Sometimes she expressed a wish to have a teacher find a NEW word to describe her, but to know her was to know that truly she had such a kind heart and caring way that sweet was not just a simple word pulled out of the book of appropriate adjectives, but it REALLY does define her character, but beyond sweet she is deep and passionate and caring and always, always raising the bar on herself. Now SHE nurtures young children as they navigate their way through life’s complications and she does it with that same sense of adventure and energy and passion that has always defined her! I could not be more proud to be her MOM.
July 8, 1977 we welcomed our BIG BABY BOY into this world…entering the world at 10 pounds and ready to conquer it all! Jonathan David rarely stopped moving from hour one. His zest for life, passion to learn and creative spirit caught everyone’s attention at an early age. He kept us on our toes as we tried to keep up, and he always, always made us laugh! He loved to learn, to create and to enjoy life moment by moment and like his big sister that passion has not gone away, but only grown. He now is a loving husband and devoted father and a professional who continues to learn and create and grow. He, like his sister, is a mother’s dream child.
July 10th, 1999 I became a Mother-in-law or as I prefer to call it a Mother-in-Love and our Jamie entered our lives when she married Jonathan. Jme has also brought so much life into our world. Her thoughtful ways,kind heart and passion for helping others has taught us much. She loves our son and for that we can ask nothing more. She is the most amazing mother to David and Michael. I marvel as I watch her patiently engage these two very active and curious little boys and never does she give them anything but her best. She sets the bar high for the rest of us when it comes to being a mother! I’m so proud she’s part of our family!
I know I’ve not been the best mom in the world..I guess most of we mom’s feel that way. It’s a never ending challenge to figure out how to do it right, but with God’s help, the support of a wonderful husband and the desire to do our best we carry on.
For those of you reading this who are beginning this journey of motherhood it really IS true that it goes way too fast and then they are out of the house and on their own. Just put one foot in front of the other, trust God to help you made good choices along the way and more than anything else LOVE your kids unconditionally and ALWAYS ALWAYS tell them you do…no matter how old they get.
For those of you who may not have given birth to your own kids this can be a difficult day, perhaps, but as a person who also has many ‘surrogate’ children and as someone who also had some great surrogate mom’s along the way you can still make a HUGE difference in the lives of kids who enter your world whether they are your nieces and nephews or cousins or just YOUR surrogate kids….it matters.
As I get older I find that it’s the little things that matter. The texts, emails, video chats and phone calls that make my day. It’s the visits and hugs and smiles from my kids that bring me so much joy. It’s watching my daughter with her students who clearly LOVE her and my son with his boys that make me swell with pride.
I wear lots of ‘hats’ and have been called lots of ‘names’, but when I’m called…MOM, MOTHER, MAMA and now Grandma…nothing in the WORLD can top that.
Happy Mother’s Day and to my dear mom….can’t wait to see you again…….
lookingbackandforth 
Love you mom… HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!! What a great post… talk to you tomorrow!
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always good for a cry!! oh and the picture of mom and you..she was so beautiful!!
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