We all have a mother.  Some of us have close relationships with them, some don’t.  Some of us have volatile relationships, some don’t.  Some of us avoid them, some don’t.  What we all have in common is that we have a mom.  The one person who decided to bring each one of us into this world, and give us a chance at living a life.  That is one hell of a commitment if you ask me.  It’s beautiful.

Here is a collage of my mom.  She’ll be 81-years-old this February.  This is a woman who has done the impossible in her life, during a time when many things were near impossible for women.  She was a single mother of five, went to college while she worked full-time, and managed to keep us all fed and clothed with the whopping $20 a month in child support that she received.  Dating was impossible as most men during her time didn’t want a ready-made family, so she sacrificed any personal happiness for all of us.

Those of you who are frequent readers of my blog know that my mother is sick with Alzheimer’s.  It’s tough all over.  But what I want to remember is pictures of her smiling.  I want to remember the good times.  Times when she laughed and times when she gave me a lot of crap (sarcasm has always been a staple in our home).  I want to remember her when she was full of life and spunk.

Most of all, I want to remember how many things she sacrificed in her life so that I could lead my own.

Thanks, mom.  I love you.