parents
The boundless love a parent has for their child is matched only by their capacity to embarrass them.
Inheriting Radical Empathy
The blue water of the Baltic sea reflected off of my oversized aviator sunglasses. I was grateful that they were large enough to cover the grimace that spread across my face. I looked down at the generous portion of fried herring my mother passed to me. The herrings returned my stare with their wide, open glazed eyes.
By Stephanie Katherine5 years ago in Families
Dear Mom
Dear Mom, Nothing can truly come close to describing how I feel about you. Everything I am, can be traced back to who you are and what you’ve done for me. You taught me to see my strengths as weaknesses and my weaknesses as strengths. You taught me by example what true humility looks like. You taught me to know truth for myself. You taught me to love both God and neighbor. You taught me to say sorry. You taught me to be a peacemaker and a truth speaker. You taught me to have empathy and let others grow at their own pace. You taught me to be me. All the books in the world cannot contain enough words to record a lifetime of your love and silent lessons. To say I love you and I’m grateful for you, does not do justice to the honor I hold for you in my heart.
By Sarah Bailey5 years ago in Families
Momma Bears' Teachings
To start with, the strongest people in the world sometimes struggle with mental illnesses. Depression, bipolar disorder, and worse can change a persons' circumstances dramatically. But, somehow my momma bear never let that stop her. While not always perfect, and sometimes a horror show, she imparted things onto me that make me who I am.
By Jason Ray Morton 5 years ago in Families
Lessons in Strength
Everything we learn in one shape or form; we learn from our parents. The good, the bad and the ugly. Our parents shape us the moment they realize there is new life growing in the womb. They begin to commit to a shared structure of how to raise their children; from their own experiences growing up in life and the change they wanted to see in the world. I am the product of Martin Eugene and Bonita Fay; two teenagers who met working at a local A&W shop. One additional item you need to know about the family that built me. I am the middle child of Martin and Bonita; they were blessed with 3 girls (no boys, my pour Dad). My oldest sister is 2 years older and my youngest sister is 8 years younger. My parents chose to move from their hometowns in Michigan to a developing farm town in the Southwest corner. My growth and experience were not only molded by my parent’s direction, but also by the region I grew up in. There is something special about small towns. They are not only the foundation which built America, but they also allow you to focus and understand specific lessons on life verses the chaos of large populated cities.
By Jackie Fazekas5 years ago in Families
A Story I Wish I Could Tell
I always listened to my mom growing up, whenever I wanted to deviate from her rules she somehow knew about them. The best moments with my mom would be when she smiled. It lit up a room and gave security in my heart. Although, she had 7 children, one miscarriage, and one child was taken from her from child protective services. I always tried my best to understand her life. Through my siblings, they would tell me who she was back then, drinking, hustling guys for whatever she wanted. The freedom we had as children were only freedom because she was tired.
By Courtney Perkins5 years ago in Families
Pattern Placement
Growing up in the 1960s and 70s as a six-foot-tall woman (although she’ll swear up and down she’s 5′ 11″), off-the-rack bell bottoms, shift dresses, and pussy-bow blouses were never going to be quite right for my mother. In addition to the requisite Home Economics courses she had to take throughout school, my mother also sewed out of necessity. She stayed up overnight to finish a Simplicity dress for a date that required exactly the right shade of aquamarine blue and a little extra swing in the fabric.
By Sarah George-Waterfield5 years ago in Families
The Rarity that is Elizabeth Jane.
"Be kind and loving and make positive choices." My mother, Elizabeth Jane, would proclaim this mantra each day as I walked out the door since the age of 5 as I was en route to school. Now, many of you may read these words and smirk at the quirky (some would say cheesy) nature of the phrase. Yet, now, as a 20 year old woman, I have come to realize that these 8 little words instilled an insurmountable volume of character into my 120 lb. body.
By Jeanne Wegner5 years ago in Families
A gift from Mom
A mothers love can be one of the most amazing gifts any of us ever receive. The gifts and lessons that they teach us will take you farther in life than you could ever realize. Most of the things I have learned over the years and the memories my mom and I have made have taken place in the kitchen (even though the kitchen was barely big enough for us both to use at the same time.) As well as some of my most important lessons in life.
By Paul whiddon 5 years ago in Families
