Tribute

I want to take a minute and just say how much I appreciate my mom. She has always been there for me, and for most of us kids, and no matter how much I used to complain about her and how mean she was and how I never got to do anything fun.... well, let's face it, that's just so not true!


When my dad died, there were still four of us kids at home, ranging in age from seven years to seventeen years old. In order to make ends meet, she took a job at a hospital 40 miles from our house, working third shift. And then also delivered mail during the day. She worked non-stop to be able to provide for us, and make sure that our necessities were met.

And not only did she work two jobs, but she made sure that we got to do all the fun things that we wanted (within reason, and when feasible). She sat in the stands for every one of my brother's baseball games. She sat there and kept track of the runs, the balls, the outs, in her little book. She watched him hit home runs and watched him block kids running for home plate.

Mom came to the football games and watched as I performed with the band at half time. She came to all the band concerts for Christmas, year end concerts, and special concerts in between. She came to all of my choir concerts; Christmas, spring, and special in between. She let me take a private art course when I was in middle school so that I could learn to paint better. These classes were only around $40.00 a month, but for a single mom with multiple kids at home...well, that was a fortune! She paid for my band uniforms, paid for my choir dresses, paid for me to go to Chicago with the band, paid for me to go to New York City with the choir...

She sat with me so many times when I was sick growing up. Stomach flu, tonsillitis, and the ten thousand times I got strep throat. She sat with me on Christmas Day of my senior year when I had my tonsils removed. She sat with me at the hospital until 3:00 am the night that Dalton was born.

She may not tell us kids the actual words "I love you", but you can tell she does love us. In all the things that she's ever done for us. She comes to help us make the turkey when we host Christmas dinner...she comes to help us bake cookies. (No matter how hard we try to do these things on our own, they never turn out the same!! Mom must be present while cooking and baking if the recipe is to turn out right!)

Mom taught me how to change a tire. She taught me how to change the oil in my car. She taught me how to drive in the snow (when going down a hill on snow, always put your car in neutral!!) She taught me that no matter how much you tell someone how you feel, actions are louder than words. Mom taught me how to put out a grease fire (I'm really not the best cook!), and she taught me about wise financial decisions. She taught me that when you lose someone you love, life goes on. It may be painful every day, and you may feel like things will never get better, but you keep on living. She did NOT teach me about makeup, or boys, or frilly dresses or color coordinating, but she did teach me life lessons that will carry me through life and carry me through all my bad days, weeks, and months. And I love her for it.

I hope that I can teach my sons the same life lessons, and live my life the way she does. With pride, dignity, love, and little laughs here and there.