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.

Elizabeth-- or Jane-- or "mom" as I refer to her-- is quite the woman. And, if it feels like that sentence could be taken a number of ways, your knee-jerk assumption would be correct. My mom and I did not always get along, she is head strong, quick tempered, and devoutly Catholic to her core. Yet, as I have grown into an adult (wow, that's scary to admit) I have been made increasingly aware of how these tendencies shaped my own persona. I myself, do not give up without a fight, am quick to ascertain conclusions about people or certain scenarios, and-- despite my recent leap to Protestantism (Lord help me... literally) have a deep respect for tradition, linearity, and devotion to whatever it is that lights ones fire inside. These traits were once causation for kicking, screaming, knock-down brawls in the Wegner household, but they are also the reason that I had a stable childhood, food on the dinner table, and a warm bed at night.

Let me explain, my mother was the primary income provider under our roof. My father would perform odd jobs here and there, but when it came to the big stuff-- benefits, insurance, vacation time... hell, even a stable salary, my mom pulled through for 18 years. I would like to think of her as my original "girl boss" icon, prior to knowing what this truly entailed. Jane has been a healthcare administrator for 12 years now, a position that did not come easy. When I was 6 years old she commuted two hours to attend university night classes in an effort to attain her Master's degree. Upon successful completion of this feat, she then faced the brutal reality of her field-- old, stubborn, men. Those in positions above her watched her every move, something I have been consistently warned about since proclaiming my desire to work in a corporate administrative position after my college degree is in hand. And with these warnings came the slow realization that perhaps I was a bit too hard on my mom for all of these years. Under the callous remarks and hefty doses of realism, she was merely priming me for the harsh reality of being a well-educated, strong, and fearless woman, in a world that consistently paints these qualities as "weaknesses."

Now, as I reminisce on my childhood, and my mother's motherhood, I tend to remember how deeply she attempted to mold me... her only child, into an individual who was kind, loving, and made positive choices. Yep, back to the mantra again. Life does come full circle, doesn't it? Elizabeth Jane, the youngest child of four, born and raised in Batavia, Iowa, devout wife, and caring mother, picked herself up by her bootstraps, got out of her microscopic hometown, and made a deep everlasting impression on my life. One day, I hope that my children are able to write about me in this manner. To write that their mother was tenacious, successful, and eloquent enough to come up with a phrase that would ever-so-annoyingly (lol) be stuck in their mind for decades to come.

While every mother is unique, my mother is akin to precious gold. Malleable in intense situations, eye-catching, and a rarety that people live their entire lives attempting seek-out.

Here's to you, Mom.