About my mom and me.

I am the baby of five kids, and man am I glad I came last! My sister is eighteen years older than I am, and I have three brothers born between us. The baby always has it better, right? That's what I hear anyway!

My mom didn't have any support from my dad in terms of raising us kids, but I want to note that my dad was a career military man. I make this note because though my dad was never really plugged into our family, he took his job of providing for us very seriously.

With my dad making the money, my mom did all the things that made me the pistol that I am today. She didn't hover, she let me fail, and she told me the truth when I didn't want to hear it ("Does this make me look fat? I would ask. "Well, you have other things that look really good on you." would be her way of saying yes). Then other times, she had a really hard time telling me the truth when I needed it the most. I make this point because this taught me not to take things at face value, and to trust my own instincts. I learned to question authority, and the most difficult authoritative figure at that!

On the sweet side, she made every holiday special. We decorated the house, baked cookies, did craft projects, and often included our neighbors in our festivities. My birthday is December 17, and she never combined my birthday with Christmas, never! It was not even allowed that one of my birthday gifts be wrapped in Christmas paper. When I was a teenager, she told me I could have a horse if I would earn half the money to buy it. Little did she know it would only take me three months to earn that money (remember the pistol she was raising)! She kept her word and I had a horse. More than I had a horse, we had a horse. She learned all about this new love with me, and we both have many years of fond memories with our horse, everything from breaking and training (which sent my mom to her insurance agent to buy life insurance for me!), to doctoring numerous ailments, to lazy summer days munching on sweet green grass (the horse, that is).

What I am most grateful to her for is teaching me the importance of manners and kindness. My mom was not always polished, but she knew how to present herself when it mattered most. She gave to those who had little or none, even when we were in the same boat. I can say in that respect, I like to think I am like her. I would like for people to think of me as kind and able to present myself properly when it matters most.