An Open Note to My Mom on Mother’s Day

Mom:

Thank you for raising me and my brothers and sisters. I have no idea how you raised us so well alone. And now that I have three children of my own, I don’t know how you weren’t frightened by having to do so. You are the bravest person I have ever known.

Thank you for being stubborn and determined enough over a long enough time that your values (finally) became my values. Your integrity and character are a bar that is still too high for me to reach, but I am still a work in progress. You were right about making me finish high school when I wanted to drop out. I am certain my pigheadedness around things that are important is the result of your example.

Thank you for believing in me and causing me to believe that I am capable of doing whatever I want, that I could be whatever I want, even when that was fronting a rock band at 17. I still remember how you sent me motivational quotes that were cut out of Reader’s Digest when I was in Los Angeles alone. You may not know this, but I used to tape them to the inside of my planner.

Thank you for the example of charity. When we had too little, you somehow found a way to take care of people around us who had even less. When other people would have recognized scarcity, somehow you saw abundance.

Thank you for never letting my harbor hatred in my heart. I am not sure how you knew to teach me forgiveness or how you convinced me to set down anger and hurt, but I recognize the difference it has made in my life. Thanks more for forgiving me the countless times I needed forgiving.

Thank you for seeing things in me that I couldn’t see myself. Thanks for still seeing things in me that I can’t yet see. You’ve always had the ability to see things that take me much longer to see.

Thank you for always being there for me, no matter what. You’ve always given me the best counsel, even when I ignored it and learned the hard way that you were right (It seems you got a lot smarter the older I have gotten).

There is this thing about Moms that makes them so special. That thing is unconditional love. Yours is the greatest example of unconditional love that I have ever witnessed, and I hope that I can live up to the example you set for me.

Happy Mother’s Day!  I love you, Mom.

Anthony

P.S. Happy Mother’s Day to my wife, Cher. Thank you for raising three wonderful babies. They don’t yet know you are their best friend, but they will!

P.P.S. Happy Mother’s Day to you Moms who read this!