...and some leave footprints in our hearts forever.

Today's blog challenge is to post a picture of someone or something that has had a large impact on me. I am going to choose my mother. I was an "only child" until the age of 4 when my dorky brother was born (love you, Ross! :). My mom and I hung out all the time. According to her entries in my journal from those days, we did a lot of wonderful things together and were the best of friends.

I think everyone goes through a stage at some point in their lives where they don't like their mom. So did I. I thought my mom was crazy and stupid and that there was NO POSSIBLE WAY that she could understand where I was coming from. We had some pretty big arguments those days and I think what I did to hurt her the most was stay away. I did a lot of things to stay distant from my mother when I was growing up. Not to say we didn't have GREAT times as well...we did! I have many fond memories of time with my mom and times where she surprised me with how she reacted to my behavior....like when she caught me kissing my boyfriend in the hall at my high school where she had come to pick me up unannounced. :) It was a wonderful talk from a place of understanding and it was times like those that I realized that she was a person too.

I talk to my mother every day. Some people don't understand that and think maybe we are TOO close, but she lives 7 hours away and I love her more than she could possibly know. Both of us sometimes make decisions that make the other one come out and say how we feel, but we are open and loving and communicate wonderfully.

I don't know who I would be or where I would be without my mother. She raised 9 children plus whatever foster kids and friends happened to be visiting. She did it with assigned laundry days and laundry buddies, color codes (including our socks!), massive amounts of bagged cereal and toilet paper, and love. We had family dinners and family night. Family trips and family scripture time. All of this was on her own with a husband who was un-supportive and negative. She is a ROCKSTAR! She always has been, I just had to look with different eyes to see it.

I've often thought of writing down some of my childhood memories for her. I am sure she experienced our childhood much differently than we did. :)

Thanks mom! for everything!