My Mama the Lion
May 12th was Mother’s Day and I figured I’d start the week off with a post about my mom. She will most likely never see this, so hopefully she doesn’t mind me plastering my Medium page with her face….anyway.
My mom was born on America’s favorite day of the year, tax day! April 15th, 1972 my mama made her way into the world. The fourth child of my grandparents and the baby to boot. My mom has always had the heart of a lion and for that I’m grateful.
For as long as I can remember, my mom has never been one to shy away from anything. I was raised to speak my mind and to always go after the things I wanted. This was hard for me to learn over the years. I’m not typically shy, but I definitely struggle with asking for my needs to be met. I don’t think my mom has a shy bone in her body. She’s the kind of person to pay for the minimal groceries of the person in front of her. She’ll bring a water bottle to the girl who got sand thrown in her face on the beach. I always have to be the one to say “Jody, don’t get involved.” but of course she does anyway.
My mom has argued with strangers over what was right and what was wrong. She has taken in friends who needed support, and maintained friendships that have lasted decades. My mom is a true ride or die.
We haven’t always seen eye to eye. Being raised by a strong woman has lead me to be a strong woman, but the process was hard. She was always pushing me and trying her hardest to mould me to be someone better. I don’t mean that in a she didn’t think I was good enough kinda way, she just wanted me to be the best version of me I could be.
Our relationship has changed a lot over the years, but I know that I always have her to fall back on. From scraping my knees while learning to ride a bike, calling her to come pick me up from a sleepover I didn't want to be at anymore, and getting my heart broken for the first time all I wanted was my mom. I remember the day I woke up after breaking up with my boyfriend, I started to cry and when people asked me if I needed anything all I said was “I just want my mom.”
Navigating a relationship with your parents is hard as an adult. I’m learning that now though, which is good for the future. Not everything is going to be sunshine and rainbows, but I think if it were I’d be a little weirded out.
It’s weird to think that my mom has known me my entire life, but I’ve only known her for a portion of hers. I always love hearing old stories about her and her life before I was born. I often wonder if she would have been a mom or who she would be had I not been born.
I leave you with this, if you’ve made it this far in my long dump about my mom. Music has always been a big part of my life and I often use music to remind me of certain people or places . This song reminds me of my mom. I’d love to hear your song too! Leave me the song that reminds you of your mom in the comments, I’d love to make a playlist from the responses.
Whether you celebrated Mother’s Day with or without your mom, know that you’re loved no matter what. ❤
