Mama Said by Shirelles
I was asked to speak in church on Mother's Day, about something I learned from my own mother. So, for those of you who weren't able to make it to hear-here it is:
I was asked to speak today about something I learned from my mother. You know how sometimes your mind completely blanks out when someone asks you a question you know the answer to, and just because they asked you about it you can't think of anything? That's what happened to me, though I blame it on shock of being asked to speak because that doesn't happen to me. But my mom has taught me a lot of things. The most recent was probably when I learned that Baked Alaska was not, in fact, baked Alaskan Salmon, but a dessert dish. She's taught me how to cook, a few of my favorites are oatmeal cake and oven pancake. She tried to teach me how to crochet once, but as a nine year old I didn't have the best attention span so that one didn't stick. And as useful as potty training has been, I'm not sure that's what the bishop had in mind.
Jim Henson (creator of The Muppets) said, “The attitude you have as a parent is what your kids will learn far more than what you tell them. They don't remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are.” Which fits kind of perfect, actually, with my talk because we never really had sit-down lessons growing up. Most of what I learned from my parents was through example and observance. And from that I've picked up a lot, things like willingness to help others. Compassion, caring, kindness, forgiveness, honesty, and patience. And that when you become a mom you get super powers like eyes in the back of your head and the eerie way she always seemed to find things out no matter how well you thought you could keep a secret.
She has always let me find my own path, and facilitated in learning to trust myself and letting me become my own person. She taught me to recognize the real beauty inside and to stand tall. And helped me believe that I could be successful at anything I wanted. Urging me to live my dreams and giving me enough confidence to face the challenges of this world with a smile. She fully supported me when divine intervention took me from social work into massage therapy and bodywork. She has always let me trust myself and follow those impulses. Even if they scared her, I'm pretty sure that me taking off to Ireland by myself for two weeks was not her favorite idea I ever had; but she let me go on a trip that changed my life. Even though I'm sure it really scared her.
Standing your ground is something I got from her, she has always stood firm on things. And I've learned that's important. She's been unwavering in her beliefs and feelings regardless of what anyone else has to say about it. But alongside that, she's always still cared about the people in her life. Which leads to Unconditional love. An attribute that she embodies towards all her children, no matter what was going on in our family dynamic. when we were on different sides of the fence, and when we didn't agree with or understand each other. I believe she never stopped loving me or my two siblings. We've always been a family, and at times things got really rough-but going back to our Disney basics, Lilo and Stitch taught us something. It's one of my Dad's favorite sayings, I'm sure you all know it “Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind”. And while sometimes it took a long time to get back to that, I believe her love for our family was always there.
She's taught me things about being a mom, that I hope to carry over with my own family one day. And things that I can do now to just be a good person. I know everyone says their mom is the best, I have no doubt that all your moms are amazing women, but my mom is the best for me. And I love her lots, Happy Mother's Day.
