Most of us have a personal hero, someone in our lives that we consider strong, loving and thoughtful. Someone who directly or indirectly changes your life in some way and makes you want to be a better person.
My personal hero? It is/was my mother. My Mom was a strong woman, who raised 6 kids on her own, for the most part of her life. My dad died at a young age and my mother quickly became not only my mother, but my father figure as well. She endured so much in her life. She was the oldest of 4 kids and her father disowned her. Even in light of her father’s mistakes, or maybe because of them, my mother never gave up on doing everything that she could do to be the best parent that she could be to her own children. She was a machine, a role model, and a loving human being. Her children put her through hell, but she never lost track of what was important: her family.
She went through many difficult times including losing my dad, and then losing my sister when she overdosed at the age of 40. Did she cry? Many times. But she picked herself up and kept moving forward for the rest of us. I have never met another woman like her, until I met my wife Giovanna. The reason I fell for Giovanna so hard is because she reminded me so much of my mom (but that’s another story). I remember so many good things about my mother, but her will to do what was right for her kids is what I appreciated and loved about her the most. Even when she was dying of cancer last year, the only thing she was concerned about were her kids. My mother was a warrior, a career woman, a sigle parent, a superhuman, but very delicate at the same time. She was the main provider for us most of her life, but she still loved being a woman and enjoyed being taken care of.
I want so much to be like her, to have her strength, her dedication, and her loyalty to being a loving parent. I hope that I am. I want my own kids to feel the same way about me as I feel about my mom. So mother, thank you for being my hero, my friend, my caretaker, my supporter, my MOM. You truly ARE my hero. See you again in Heaven. Until then, I love you, I miss you, and I will ALWAYS keep you in My heart. It’s true! Happy Mother’s Day.
