I recently had a beautiful shift occur in my life. It was a passing thought that resonated with my being and moved me deeply. I was thinking of the people that helped in creating me to be who I am today, and I realized I had not been including a very important person; my Mama.
I will not lie. I always accredited my maternal grandmother and my father for my feisty, straight forward, and adventurous spirit. Yet this perception is, was, a blind spot and so very much needed to be seen.
I am just like my mother in so many ways. We both have feisty characters, fiery at times. We are passionate, and sometimes, referred to as stubborn. We both love traveling and within that space have chosen to move away from our families while we move towards whatever goal is directing our path at that time. We are both creatives, just in different ways, she used to be a singer and can make anything taste delicious with her cooking; I am a writer. We are both caretakers, sacrificing at times ourselves to make sure others are taken care of… and the similarities go on and on.
Mama also taught me to be an independent woman; encouraging me to do anything and everything and teaching me to rely on myself for answers. She taught me hard work and to think out of the box to problem solve. She taught me how to clean and care for myself. She taught me manners and the importance of honesty. She survived my adolescence and made sure I did too, let’s just say I was really intense during that period of my life. She taught me empathy. She taught me love and she showed me love. She showed me over and over again her inner strength as she too started to work full time; balancing being the primary caregiver with work life demands and limited time.
My realization struck me strongly and with that feeling love flowed for Mama, lots of it. Mama has been with me for the ups and the downs, the outrageous and the boring, and always has been such a source of pure love. Pure love that I had trouble receiving for so many years as I had my own inner struggle to manage. Now? Bring on the love. I am so grateful.
I am so grateful that after quadruple bypass surgery she is still with us. I am grateful to watch her with my nieces and nephew; seeing her come alive in a whole different way. Seeing her shine with her focus on loving those children as much as she can. I am so grateful for her hugs and smiles. I am so grateful I can call her up and she is willing to spend time with me doing whatever; shopping, acupuncture, or just hang with me. I am so grateful that she is healthy and vibrant at 73 years old. There is just so much love and gratitude I have for my Mama, my heart is full and I cherish my moments with her.
I am who I am today for many reasons; one of them is my Mama.
-Krysta, New Hampshire
All Love Letters’ are pristine, posted as they were received. Please forgive any spelling and grammar issues, since the writing was done in the throes of love, and sometimes love doesn’t care about commas or misplaced letters.
