MOTHER'S DAY

When I was about 3 years old, I would dress myself up in a pink tutu, sparkly silver & blue leotard (that my mom probably decorated) and dabble on some lipstick. As soon as I was ready, mother would call out from the living room, “Preeeeesenting…Kellie…Nicole…[Last Name =)]!” I would then dash down the hallway excitedly while my mom would sing some funny, unrecognizable introduction tune. My grandmothers, aunt or cousins would be my captive audience as I did some sort of impersonation of a dancer or possibly some dance move my cool, young aunt recently showed me. (Obviously, I quickly found out that dancing was NOT my forte!) This is just one of the “when she was…” stories my mother love’s to share.

Living in Paris surrounded by Joes family, I’ve heard many “when he was a child” stories, especially from his mother. Though Joe cringes every time he is within earshot, I quite enjoy the tales. It reminds me of my own mother, my childhood and her love of sharing often times embarrassing stories of my youth. I’ve come to appreciate the fact that story telling is a shared trait amongst moms.

In a way, mothers surround me. I grew up in a family of women. Both of my wonderful grandmothers lived within a mile of my house, and female cousins, aunts, etc… always seemed to be visiting since we lived in sunny south Florida. If I think about it, the ratio of woman to men in my family is about 4:1. This makes for very interesting, sometimes humorous often emotionally, chaotic moments. But in a way I’m lucky (as my mother reminds me) because beyond all the chaos, I have a number of strong female mentors. Sometimes it’s a grandmother (even though both have passed), a cousin, an aunt or even a close friend I’ve adopted as family. All of who are strong, loving, passionate, sensitive, intelligent, (the list goes on) women.

Even in these modern times, women still bare the responsibility of balancing “professional self” & “family self” while keeping some sense of “attractive self” for their romantic life as well a little room for “just being me” self. My mother is no exception to the rule. I watched my mom run her own business, pick me up after work, cook dinner, keep a clean home and still find time to work out, socialize or savor some alone time before starting her day again. It wasn’t a burden but a role she cherished. So much so that when I went into High School (and my father’s business was thriving) my mother decided she needed to be a full-time stay at home mom (okay, partly because she wanted to keep me from being the wild child she was in high school!). Some teenagers may not have appreciated this, but I look back on those years fondly. My mom was a permanent fixture on school trips. Going to an inner city schools, I was always impressed how easily she adapted to the diversity of students. I had numerous memorable parties where my mom would go all out with games & decorations, even entrusting me with a sans parents after prom party! My mother kept me organized and on track all the while keeping an open door, no judgments policy that she still maintains to this day. Many friends from all walks of my life know my moms as well as they know me. And no matter where I’ve lived, (Tallahassee, NYC, Paris and who knows where else!), we maintain a mother-daughter relationship like no other. (Not to say we didn’t go through the normal, occasional growing pains!)

Needless to say, I’m taking a sentimental pause to express my love and gratitude to the most important woman of my life. She is my role model, my best-friend, but most importantly, my mother. A woman I’ve watched be a rock through family illness & loss, stay focused and positive through financial hardships, stand steadfast & firm on her beliefs & values and have the determination to pick herself up & start over no matter how scared or exhausted she may be. She is strong & independent and equally sensitive & sincere. It’s through her strength of character & passion that I find the courage to follow my heart & life’s ambitions. And although I sometimes fall flat on my face despite her words of wisdom and advice, she is always there with words of encouragement to help me pick myself back up and move on. So, as hard as it may be to admit, (And I have learned the hard way!) the old saying is true more often than not "a mother really does know best"…

Thank you to all the mother's out there for your patience, love & support.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!