Mama taught me about sacrifice

Mama taught me about sacrifice.

When I was young, my mother always found me riddled with illness. I was born with asthma and was prone to any flu that came my way. I caught pneumonia at one point and bronchitis at another. Sometimes just being out in a cold place made me feel sick too. I tried my best to fit in with other kids in my class but because I kept getting so sick, I felt that I never had any time to play with the other children as much as I'd like to. At the end of the day, all that mattered was getting enough rest so I could come to a state of normalcy. I had to because,

Mama taught me about sacrifice.

I could feel all of the weight on her shoulders even if she wouldn't let me see it. What does it feel like to be a mother of a child who's prone to illness? Mama poured all of her energy into me. My siblings always thought that I was the special kid in the family and no lie, there have been many times where I felt that way. I always knew who my hero was. She was always taking time away from her life because she needed to save her baby. She chose not to work and instead worked on bringing me to a good state of health, taking me on multiple trips to doctors, and treated me with an abundance of love all along the way. No doctors healing could ever match the healing in our bond because,

Mama taught me about sacrifice.

We would go through these roller coasters, where I would have periods of blissful rises grounded in normalcy and chaotic drops into a flux of illness. Colds, coughs, wheezes, pain from body ailments, skin infections, sore throats and sinus scares. I felt the gravity of those drops in my mothers face as she would tenderly brush my hair and pray for my recovery. I couldn't have asked for a better mom, but there were times where I couldn't help feeling guilty. There I go: taking away mom's time again. She could be going out; drinking coffee with her friends, working at a job that she likes, watching TV or enjoying beach waters. None of that ever seemed to matter her because,

Mama taught me about sacrifice.

Finally, starting in my high-school years the curse of chronic illness was relinquished. Entering the age of adolescence: during this time I soaked in my puberty and like most teenagers, almost completely forgot about mom. I spent so much time trying to hang out with friends, trying to get to that step of confidence where I can sorta-kinda talk to girls and of course being crushed by the weight of studying in the school system. It was like I was finally catching up to life and to be honest I think it was a wonderful opportunity for mom to catch a break. Mom was hanging out with her friends while I was hanging out with mine. We would have these monthly rituals of going to the movies as a family and that was great too. It was a good way to balance all of our lives together. Then at one point, I had a meeting with the school counselor and my mom was invited. Oh yeah, wait a minute let me rewind for a moment; I forgot to mention during all this time of being sick and not having friends, I would play with dinosaurs, imaginary friends and draw everything I loved instead. Sometimes I would draw flowers for mom too, she definitely deserved some rewards for the tribulations of my meddling sickness. My mother knew from the very first drawing I did, that I was an artist. To this very day I can't believe how right she was. She knew me before I knew myself. Ever since third grade my mother pushed and pushed for me to get accepted in magnet schools that had a primary focus on the arts. I can't thank her enough for that, all that practice and all my teachers are part of me now. My craft and life practice is based on everything I learned. Extreme fast-forward for a moment: I was able to flourish into this incredible art career now because of the seeds my mother planted. I wouldn't have my life any other way too. Being an artist is not only what feels natural to me but it's the best way of living that acts as the biggest thank you to mom. Medium-sized rewind to that fateful encounter with the school counselor. My grades were not looking too good, and with mathematics: it was so easy to tell that I was slacking. The counselor told my mother in dismay; that because my grades are falling below average, I might not be able to continue my high-school career at this particular magnet school. I turned my head and witnessed the look on my mom's face. Immediately I was possessed by the gravity of disappointment and the feeling that I wasn't pulling my weight. NO, I CAN'T LET MAMA DOWN.

MAMA TAUGHT ME ABOUT SACRIFICE!

I couldn't let all those times mother sacrificed herself for my sake go to waste. I wasn't going to be some ordinary dead-beat teenager. No, I will be Superman for my mom. My friends hangout time had to wait because I needed to pull it together. Kaboom, from that moment on I got nothing but A's and B's and made that bug-head school counselor eat his words/threats. I really started to learn how to balance everything in life during those years. The realization hit: there's a time to socialize and there's multiple times where you need to buckle down and get in the grit. The same way mama would because,

Mama taught me about sacrifice.

I went through years of juggling college and work but being able to handle all of that was second nature. Learning from mom was the most effective life lesson. This story is not just about mom, but our mother to son relationship. A reflection of character and the mirror to our intuitive ways of being. Mother is now a preschool teacher because intuitively, whole-hearted sacrifice brings her happiness. The more energy she can pour into children and our future the more she can rest well with herself. Mama just can't stop teaching about sacrifice and here I am: a full-fledged artist with a studio and art installer. The funny thing is that math is crucial to both my art and the work I do for others now because,

Mama taught me about sacrifice.

The time that goes into the mathematical side of what I do is crucial in order to perfect the intention. On top of that I juggle a lot of handyman gigs, carpentry, help my friends in times of need and of course spend time with loved ones. I am the man I am today because mama taught me about sacrifice, and more than that she intuitively taught me what real love feels like. I celebrate you with a big wholesome thank you from your mathematical, oh-so-healthy, artistic son, Patrick. I love you to the edge of the universe and beyond ❤.

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