Coming to the end of a trip such as this shows you how very important people back home are. It reminds you of the love and support you have been receiving from a distance, and it’s that little thing inside you that makes you daydream about finally returning home.
My home is in Kentucky. The Bluegrass State, the Place-Where-UK-Is, the Coal-Mining-State. It’s also the state where my mother lives and works and holds down the fort while I run around the world chasing God and my dreams. And I just want to take a moment to honor her, to let you have a glimpse into our world together.
My mom is very dear to me. She has sacrificed over and over again for me to have opportunities to pursue the desires of my heart. From the very beginning, when I joined a kid soccer league in Oregon she has been putting her own dreams aside so I could have mine. When we moved to Kentucky (I was 10 years old), she wanted me to make friends right away, so she signed me up for karate classes. Five minutes into my first introductory lesson, I was hooked. She gave of her time and energy, she sacrificed sleep and friendships in order to drive me around the country to tournaments all throughout the 90’s. Sometimes we would go to tournaments every other weekend, all year long. When we fell into some hard financial times and couldn’t afford the fee for karate anymore, she found a way to get me there anyway: we cleaned the karate school together once a week until I was old enough to start teaching classes.
When I made the National Karate Team in 2002, she was there, crying and clapping and being prouder than any mother has ever been. Even though we were poor, she made a way for me to afford the trip to the World Championships in Italy that August, where I won four bronze medals. She helped me get to the World Championships in Switzerland and Canada, 2004 and 05, respectively, where I won a gold medal, two silvers, and three more bronze. How did I get there? How could I possibly have accomplished so much? My mother gave of herself constantly, without hesitation or holding back, so that I could get to class, go to seminars, travel to other studios to train with other coaches. She saw something in me that I never really recognized and she made a way for me to reach for the stars. And I succeeded because she was in my corner.
this was for you, Mom
All of my life was this way. She gave me courage and strength to audition for the theatre. One time when I was nine, and we were living in Washington, she got me an audition for the National Tour of Charlotte’s Web. How amazing is that?! She was always looking for the things that I was interested in, for the areas where I found joy and excitement, and she gave me just the right amount of push to get started.
My mom is a strong woman. She has endured an unendurable amount of tragedy in her life, and she still goes on. A few years ago she decided she had had enough of jobs that treated her as dispensible, so she put herself through undergraduate and graduate school by working at a local restaurant, which is usually where most college-aged kids work. She never acted ashamed or embarrassed, but worked hard with punctuality, grace, and kindness. She ended up getting a ton of regular customers who always asked for her by name, simply because she took such great care of them.
And then my mother graduated with her Master’s Degree. All of her hard work, dedication, focus, and selflessness added up to give her a job she now loves and is spectacular at. She is an Occupational Therapist and spends her life doing what she was born to do: give people a second chance at living abundantly.
also, look how good she looks in that cap and gown!
Then I was accepted to go on the World Race. Mom put aside her own mourning for the loss of our physical nearness, and told me she was proud of me, and excited. When I sold all my possessions to help fund the trip, she painted information about the sale on her car and drove all over town telling people where to go to get great stuff. She helped me contact old friends and family who might have had churches I could speak at, or business who might help support me.
this is love
And when I left in January, through her tears she smiled and hugged me and told me she loved me. Throughout this year, she has been my rock. She has supported my personal budget almost single-handedly these entire eleven months, giving me opportunities to go see beautiful places or do exciting things on our days off, or to buy supplemental food when all we had was bread, rice, and potatoes. She commented on nearly every photo or blog I posted, reminding me that people were interested in the things I have to say. She encouraged me with emails, facebook messages, skype conversations, and one random phone call on our Guatemala-to-Albania New York Layover that I could do this trip, that home will be waiting when I finish, and to finish strong.
multiple late night (for you) skype dates
So, to the Mom who makes dreams come true:
Thank you for being the Mom who loves me endlessly and selflessly and sacrificially. There is a lot to be learned about love from you.
Thank you for being the Mom who made sure I had every opportunity to pursue my passions. I wouldn’t be the woman I am today without your bolstering support.
Thank you for being the Mom who showed me how important it is to do wild and crazy things, to step out of your comfort zone, even if it’s embarrassing.
no big deal, just learning to be a sushi chef
Thank you for being the Mom who makes the best pancakes in the world. I think the last ten pounds I gained in college where because of those pancakes. #worthit
Thank you for being the Mom who goes on movie dates with me, even at midnight. It is one of my favorite things to share with you, and I greatly look forward to more of them.
remember this? anna karenina at the kentucky theatre
Thank you for being the Mom who loves ballroom dancing as much as I do. We are two hot mamas on that dance floor, and some of my most special memories involve going to dances with you.
see what i mean?
Thank you for being the Mom who made sure I never went hungry. There were a couple of times when it could have happened, and you made sure it never did.
Thank you for being the Mom who is always proud of me, no matter what I do or don’t do. It says something really beautiful about you, that your daughter could do or be anything, even a waitress, and you would still be proud.
remember when you took me on a cruise to celebrate my college graduation?
Thank you for being the Mom who taught me how to check my car’s tire air pressure, and how to change oil. Thank you for teaching me how to balance a checkbook, and how to pay bills.
Thank you for every show, dance performance, competition, tournament, soccer game, track meet, recital, dress rehearsal, and awards ceremony that you showed up to so that you could cheer me on. There are a lot of parents in the world who just don’t have time to go to all these things, but you made sure to be at nearly every one. Thank you for the flowers, the cards, the applause, and the tears; I always felt like a million bucks when you were in the audience.
even when it wasn’t my show
or when you stepped up and were in the show yourself #courage
Thank you for being the Mom who became a mom to all my friends. Growing up and having friends that called you “Mom” was the best, and it made my friends and I even closer.
Thank you for being the Mom to kids who didn’t have a mom. I remember countless times Ben or I would bring a stray home, and you would cook extra for dinner, or check their heads for lice, or bring them on vacation with us and, even though you weren’t aware in the beginning you would be doing so, you ended up paying for their meals as well. I saw your sacrifice then, Mom. I saw your selflessness. And I learned.
Thank you for being the Mom who fostered my love of animals. There were always pets around, and you were always the one they loved the most (darn it!). Thank you for taking care of Tawny and Omar and Patches when we were little, and Baxter and Shadow when we were big. Thank you for showing us how to treat them and take care of them. I saw how important it was for animals to be treated kindly and lovingly, and it has made an impact.
they always love you most
Thank you for being the Mom who didn’t drop me off at church. You were always there with me, and I learned the importance of going to church. I watched you interact with people, and I learned the importance of fellowship and friendship.
Thank you for being the Mom who got up after heartbreak. There were countless times you could have been knocked down for the count, but you never let any of them beat you. You kept getting up again and again and, while heartache leaves its mark, you keep smilling and putting one foot in front of the other. That is a rare kind of strength and dignity and grace that you have, and it showed me how crucial it is to keep going when you think you can’t. Just keep swimming, if you will.
Thank you for being the Mom who cries when I come home, who laughs at all my jokes, who calls me twice a day just to share about what’s been happening. It makes me feel really special and loved, that you care about what I’ve been doing, and that you want to share with me what’s going on in your life.
for every easter, thanksgiving, mother’s day, and birthday
Thank you for being the Mom who makes herself available. I know for a fact that my brother or I could call you at any point, day or night, and you would take that phone call and help us out in whatever way you can. You’ve even done this for our friends, or for the kids you took under your wing when you went to college yourself. You’ve actually done this multiple times, and I want you to know that I notice. I notice your heart for serving and giving and loving. I notice you.
you always put your family above anything else
Thank you for being the Mom I can always come home to, no matter where I am. It’s a rare and beautiful thing to know I’ll always have a home.
Thank you for being the Mom who teaches me how wonderful it is to love in this world. I see it when you hold your friends’ babies, I see it when you talk about your job or experiences you have there, I see it when you push me to follow my own dreams. I see it when you tell me silly stories about your cat Sangha, or in old pictures from my childhood. I see it when you talk about your Mom and your Dad, I see it when you talk about me.
this just makes me melt
For all this, and a million more things, Thank You. I couldn’t possibly have had a better mother, more support, or more love. I love you.
i am who i am, because you are who you are
