So it is the day past Mother's Day (and yes - I did call my Mom).
It's hard to put into words how much my Mom impresses me - particularly since I know she reads this and I don't want to say anything embarrassing. But let me tell one story of how she taught me about commitment.
My mom's 2nd husband was a terrible person. Thee really is nothing more I wish to dwell on. Anyway, after a while I went to live with my dad because he and I could not be in proximity (that is within 3 states of each other).
Well, my mom divorced the SOB less than 2 years later.
She moved back to LA, and for me - it seemed awful. I loved my mom and I loved my dad and my mom's parents were constantly pushing for me to go live with my mom again and I was a freak about it. Literally, the phone would ring and I would run outside so I didn't have to talk to anyone. I refused to come to the phone.
After a very short while, my mom figured out what was going on. I didn't tell her, but she figured it out. When I went to visit her she sat me down. She said she was really glad I was happy with Dad. She said that if I ever needed her, I could call or write or come over. She said if my dad was an asshole - or things weren't just right - I was always welcome with her or with Zela (my dad's mom). But that no one was going to force any changes right now.
If you knew my dad (or know of the stories) you would understand how difficult this had to be. My dad was ... Interesting. But he was one of the interesting in a Dr. Phil kind of way. You know, "Today, on Dr. Phil, ex-husbands that sell pot, sleep with anything that walks and is a chronic liar" kind of way.
Not the kind of person that you want your kid to live with. But my mom knew I was okay with him and the tug of war (either real or - looking back - imagined) was killing me.
At the time I was thankful. Looking back now, I don't know how she did it. Well I do. She wanted me to be happy. That day she earned a lot of admiration from me.
And, to this day, my mom will call out of the blue or drop a note just when I need it most - even if she has not idea that something is wrong. It's great, plus it has the added bonus of freaking Eddie out a little (the whole telepathic thing is weird for him).
So - anywho - Happy Mother's Day. I learned a lot from you. Not just "a lot" as in wide, but a lot as in depth.
FYI - I also learned who NOT to marry.