Happy Mother's Day

To my mom and my children's oma,
Happy Mother’s Day! I first want to say I am so sorry that I have been terrible with gifts for you this year and I promise to make it up to you.
So today I want to say thank you. I cannot imagine what went through your brain when you found out you were pregnant with me. You had a choice, be a single mom at 16 or well I am sure there were other options. But you chose to keep me and have me and raise me. Can I say thank you. Then you had another choice, to be hateful to my father who could not be in my life and chose not to for many years. Instead you taught me forgiveness. In my entire life you have never said one negative thing about him although I know it was hard. Instead you allowed his family to be part of my life. You encouraged me to have relationships with them that benefitted me for years. When my dad was ready and able to be part of my life I was able to let him with no negative feelings.


I remember growing up with you and how much fun you could make things. I remember how you were there for every school function no matter what was going on. I remember you volunteered all the time at my school. Do you remember when I threw a book at the teacher and she sent me to the principle and the principle sent me to you and you sent me back to class, WOOOOOOOOO that was a close one.
Mom, you have not had a easy life but with each day you have stood up to it and did what needed done to make it through. I often think I get my strength from you. Thank you for teaching me to take each day and each problem as it comes and handle it with integrity.
There is something else I want to say thank you for. Thank you for putting me on that church bus every week. While there are things we both would change about that. Being at church taught me the love of Jesus and how is he is our ultimate strength. Thank you for allowing me to babysit at such a young age because I got to learn how to take care of children. Thank you for always allowing me to tell you what I was thinking and to ask you questions no matter what they were about. Thank you for not laughing in my face when I wanted to move out at 17 and letting me. When I wanted to move 9 hours away to live on my own you said okay and allowed it. You could have stopped me you could have told me I would never make it but you did not. You encouraged me and trusted me to be the person you raised. I love you and hope that when my girls are my age we talk as openly as you and I do. I love you. Oh and one more thing, thank you for not listening to my dad and naming me Gypsy Dawn. I cannot imagine my friends calling me Gypsy today.