Have I ever told you about my Mom? Well! Get ready! She is incredible. She is my biggest cheerleader and would be yours, too. She is one of the most friendly and supportive people on the planet. She talks to the check out folks and waves at the passing golfers, often offering them balls from those she has collected on her daily walks. She knows and loves all her neighborhood dogs. She is an artist, coming from a long line of creative women. She can paint, draw, sew, stitch, crochet, quilt, tat, embroider, and just about any other creative endeavor there is. She also does creative landscaping. As in moving dirt and making terraces using paving stones, retaining walls and plantings. To date, she has laid over 18 pallets of pavers while creating patios and landings around her house. And she loves her plants! If one isn’t thriving, she will water it, talk to it, transplant it, or move it to shade. Only very occasionally do her plants not make it. One reason for that would be the deer and other creatures she feeds. When you visit Mom you will see deer, racoons, opossum, owls, frogs, the occasional grass snake, SQs, frogs, vultures, wood-peckers, titmouses (is that titmice?), hummingbirds, blue jays and cardinals. So many cardinals! All the different versions and colors of cardinals that I never even knew existed! They all come to my little Momma. She is the forest fairy godmother. She feeds them corn and the premium black birdseed and pecans and nectar. The deer will wait on her to put out their corn before the sun appears for the day. Often, they can convince her to put out a second batch, too! Especially if there are does and little spotted fawns lurking around. Her home is surrounded by peace and grace and these animals are drawn to her. Before my Mom lived on the edge of a now-defunct golf course, she was a wife, too. My parents had almost 53 years of marriage before my Dad passed away. She was his biggest supporter. He wanted to play tennis, so she played tennis. He wanted to ride motorcycles so she did that with him. They scuba dived together and had many wonderful adventures. Whatever he wanted to do, she was right there with him. Once he was gone, she had to re-discover her own interests and passions. She always had her creative endeavors but over the last several years she has blossomed into her own. She is strong and independent and brave in ways I aspire to be. She is stubborn to the core! Once she starts something, it is BY GOLLY, going to be finished. And, sooner rather than later. As of this writing, my Mom is 77 years old. You would never EVER know it! She will go on hikes with me and my friends and will lead the way! She buzzes around and stays busy doing the work of a grown man often before there’s light to the day. She is on her own schedule and makes no apologies for that. Recently, she has begun crocheting tiny turtles to place in your speedometer inset. They are adorable! But, their purpose is to protect you while you are out on the road. She also makes other tiny crocheted animals, and they sit on her window ledges waiting to be adopted. Last weekend, I saw an octopus she had made and just had to have it! And… then I needed about 6 more for my book club friends and she’s almost finished making those, (barely 3 days have passed). I have always had access to her talents. Once, in junior high, I was awarded the role of the crab in Alice in Wonderland (who knew that role even existed?). She created a crab costume from a hula hoop and red fabric complete with claws and tentacles and it stole the show. She sewed my first prom dress from a sketch that I drew and it was lovely. Her homemade clothes never “looked homemade” IYKYK. She has adopted my friends and has independent friendships with many of them.

When I went to college in the late 1980’s, my Mom wrote me a letter every day. This was before email and cell phones. I know her life was busy and she was doing it FOR ME. I wrote to her, too, but I had time between classes and after coursework was done. She did the same thing when I was off at camp as a young teen. It was a three week camp and we were not allowed phone calls unless it was an emergency. It was great for teaching us independence and self-reliance, but my little Momma knew I needed to hear from her as I was learning these new life lessons. The only time we have ever been out of contact for any extended period of time was the summer I was a foreign exchange student. Overseas calling was very expensive. So… while I was gone abroad for 6 weeks, my parents jumped on the opportunity to take a long cross-country motorcycle trip. I do remember one phone call about mid-way into my experience and something about charges of $14 per minute so we didn’t talk long! The trust my Mom had in me to let me go to Europe as a 17 year old was telling of her faith in how well they had equipped me for life. My Mom was the one who fought to keep a relationship with my sister when she was choosing to live a hard life. Both my parents had done everything they could do to throw her a lifeline, yet, she kept on that same path. Dad was done but Mom still held out hope that she would come around. It was a painful time for our family and Mom was the one with the strength to have hope.

She often senses when things are “off”. Before my sister’s breast cancer diagnosis, my Mom had a dream. She said it was just the word CANCER in white letters on a black background. She didn’t know who or what kind…just that it was coming. I believe I get my intuitiveness and active dream life from her. We are on a parallel path of learning about life together and it’s wonderful to get to share these new ideas and insights with each other. Mom is 1/4 Creek Indian from her paternal side. Her dad was a “half-breed” who fell in love with her mom who was basically “town royalty”, as I hear it, and those two youngsters eloped young to great scandal. Mom was the middle of five kids and her upbringing was less than ideal, although she had great love and respect for her Dad. She decided early on what she did NOT want her life to look like before she knew anything about creating the life she did desire.

Mom and I have a sweet and special relationship. We know how precious family is – especially when ours is so small. We have a daily phone call and text multiple times over the course of the day as we experience our separate, but very connected, lives. She is still my best cheerleader and the best little Momma anyone could have. I know how fortunate I am and *hope* to turn out just half as awesome and amazing as she is!