to define exceptional

I was looking at my dishpan hands today after scrubbing down the house this afternoon. My weekly sanity. I love working hard and getting tired and seeing the accomplishment of a spotless house packed full of clean dishes and clean laundry. As silly as it may sound it fulfills something in me I lost when I stopped working outside the home. Mothering is so fly by the seat of your pants! You have little control most of the time! You never know what's going to fly up and slap you upside the head! Homemaking is nitty gritty but organized and controlled! Plus you can make it what you want. I was putting clean sheets on the bed and decided my favorite of all holiday's is Mother's Day. What sweet and momentous day to celebrate everything that means Mother. I can say with certainty that being a Mother has transformed me in a way nothing in my life ever has or ever will. Never have I felt so blessed and thankful for being a woman. There's SO much connected with being a Mom. It's a celebration of carrying a baby (or babies!), nurturing physically and emotionally, going from a regular girl to a hero the second your baby takes her first breath. I will never tire of it and never take it for granted, EVER.

It's no secret my Mom and I are very close. She's always been my hero. She was a patient and wonderful Mother. She was nurturing to the extreme. She has always been so connected to me. She listened to me when I had the words to put to how I was feeling and when I didn't I could look at her with no words and see her eyes fill with understanding, compassion and undying love. I have hundreds upon hundreds of memories of her while I was growing up and she was this quiet powerful presence of esteem, praise and pride in me. I couldn't fail in her eyes. I couldn't disappoint. She followed my dreams and has always been behind me, giving me support and telling me how amazing I am. I am so undeserving of this kind of love yet appreciate so much how it has molded me into the woman that I am. Truth be told when I'm sick, or sad or upset nothing makes me feel good as quickly as Momma!

So to define exceptional is to define my Mom, who she was, who she is and what she will continue to be; the most important and influential woman in my life.

Happy Mother's Day to you Mom! I admire you and I'm so extremely proud of you, what you've done and who you are. I love you with all of my heart. I'm missing you this weekend and wish you were in town to celebrate with me!