My mom was eighteen when she got married. At nineteen, she had a baby that was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. She went on to have five more children, all healthy and normal - whatever that means - and also welcomed several misfit teenagers into her home. She is now G-Ma T (Grandma Thorn) to 24 grandkids and one great-grandbaby. She never forgets a birthday, always sending fun emails, cards, and facebook messages. She is incredibly beautiful with high cheek bones and eyebrows that can put you in your place when combined with her infamous Grandma frown.

I remember lying on the floor in the living room underneath the quilt racks while she worked or under the dining room table while she designed costumes or created prom dresses, wedding dresses, Halloween costumes and more. She could do anything. And incredibly enough, she never doubted that or questioned her own talent or ability. Years later, long after I had become an adult with children of my own, I bumped onto one of my parents' friends who asked how she was, then quickly said, "You know, your mom is the only woman I know who could wallpaper a room and nurse a baby at the same time." This is a true statement, I saw her do it with my younger siblings.

She was never afraid of hard work, which, I am thankful to say, definitely rubbed off on me. Although, I know for a fact, my mom could run circles around me - still. I called her early on Mother's Day to thank her. It isn't enough, you know. I could never really tell my mom, in a simple thank you, how I really feel. She is smart, funny, mean, loving, harsh, happy... all of these. And there are no negatives. I am thankful for my strict, seemingly ruthless upbringing. I know I needed it, our family needed it. She raised a large family with her finely-tuned organizational skills rival that of any CEO. I watched her plan meals for a family of six or eight or twenty, keep up with the laundry, be an active churchgoer and Sunday School teacher, as well as her kids' biggest fan at every sporting event, play and function.

I watched her bury a child when my oldest brother failed to recover from a bout of pneumonia; I held her when she wept. Too many nights, she stood by my bed helping through an asthma attack or heartbreak. She taught me how to embrace hard work, how to strive for perfection, how to be proud of a job well done, how to work on a team, and I am so thankful for the wonderful mom that she was / is. I am lucky, fortunate, and blessed.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom. Thank you for the example you always are and have always been. I take her with me every day. She is part of who I am, she is part of my tapestry.

Who or what makes up your tapestry and what does that tapestry say about you? Would those who had influence over your upbringing, be they a parent, mentor or teacher, be pleased with where you are now and who you have become?



© by rayannethorn