My amazing mother who is also a grandmother!

I was my mother’s first of three children.  How her first experience of childbirth led her to have two more, I’m not sure!  I was a breech baby, coming out bum first.  But that was only the start.  I wasn’t breathing properly when I came out and there were some tense moments at the local hospital in Drumhellar, Alberta.  As well, my feet were both turned abnormally inwards and the doctor gave the impression initially that he wasn’t sure I would walk properly.  All of this worked itself out, but I would imagine it wasn’t an easy couple of weeks for my parents.

Both of my sisters are now mothers and between seeing them with their children as well as friends with theirs, I have a pretty solid sense that being a mother isn’t easy.  And among the endless advice that everyone seems to offer (sometimes unwillingly!), mothers can sometimes feel like they’re never doing anything right!  Trial and error is often the best practice and my mother helped shape who I am right from the start.  There is little doubt in my mind that taking me outside daily, even through those cold Alberta winters, helped get me through this past winter in Newfoundland!  She exposed me to the elements early and I’m pretty sure it paid off – my love for being outside trumps most other things in life.  And as tempting as it is to share how my mom influenced my love for the outdoors, two other things come to mind today.

First, my mother’s listening ear throughout my life has been monumental.  Her interest in my thoughts, my feelings, my shortcomings, my strengths, my victories, my defeats – for the past 36 years, if anything of significance happens in my life, I want to call my mother first to share it.  This trickles into her being a great cheerleader.  I always feel like she’s there to support me.  From a mother’s perspective, having your son tell you he’s going to run across the country might lead to some real question marks.  And I’m not saying she didn’t ask some of those questions!  But at the end of the day, her decision to be my cheerleader – to support me in this project was unparalleled.  My mother will always be my mother.  She will always nag me about little things and always ask about girls.  But over the past 15 years of my life, she has developed a different role as well.  She has become one of my best friends.  So on this Mother’s Day, I thank you mom for nurturing me, for helping me see who I am and accepting it, and for being one of the best friends a son could ask for.  I love ya!