By Alaiza David
“My best feeling is knowing that I’m a little piece of you.” – Unknown
I’ve resonated with this from the moment I’ve read it. It reminded me of how much I am a part of my mom, and she, a part of me.
I know every child says this, but my mom is the best out there.
Life is imperfect and at times it may be cruel, and while most moms shelter their children from the darkness of life, my mom held my hand through it. She didn’t sugarcoat life and pretended it was some perfect tale it isn’t. Instead, she reminded me every day that whatever I faced, I didn’t have to face alone. She was there with me every step of the way. She was there to hold me, to guide me, to protect me.
As any child, there were a lot of times I failed to understand the gravity of situations we had to face. And as I grew, I figured out the cues that helped me adjust to situations. I learned when to offer my company, and to respect her silence when she needed it.
I learned to feel how she did and adapt when something was wrong. I learned to trust when I didn’t understand and accept when my mom hid something from me to protect me from what I couldn’t yet understand.
Growing up with a woman this strong, I knew it was just my duty to remind her she need not wear the cape on her own. I learned to show up and be there to support her instead of adding to the burden she already had to carry.
The older I got the more I saw how selfless my mom was. We’ve both been left by many people in our lives and yet, she finds the strength to trek forward every day. While I wished I was always there for her, as any other teenager, I fell guilty to giving more attention to myself as I entered a new stage in my life.
The world didn’t revolve around me and this was something I had to remember. Forgetting this equaled more misunderstandings with each other. These put a wedge between us momentarily and we forgot that we were a team. These misunderstandings brought us to be at each other’s necks almost every day for months.
After all has been said and done, we come home to us. We realize the truths we’ve loved and lived for. I am her daughter and she is my mother.
All it took was a few more tries. A handful of good intentions and heart to hearts sessions. Moments like these only remind us that we’ve only got each other. And while everyone else may try and bring us down, we come together as a team to rise above it — stronger; better.
Mom,
You already know how much I love and adore you. You are my best friend, my sister, my father, and my mother all rolled into one human being. I love being your partner and +1 to everything. I love how you support me physically and emotionally – especially through our many races. I love how people always regard us as sisters, because in my heart, sometimes we are. Much so that we fight like sisters when it comes to borrowing each other’s clothes.
I love how car rides turn into karaoke sessions and how you give in to my late-night drive-thru requests. And though I may not show it as much as I feel it, I look up to you in every. single. way. And even at your weakest, you can’t help but shine a little brighter each time.
You are the most real role model and for that I’ll be always grateful. Everything we’ve been through has shaped us into the strong people we’ve turned out to be and I cannot thank you enough for being by my side through it all.
And sure, society may not see us as the ideal family, but sometimes having a little piece of someone you love as much as we do each other, is enough.
You fill all the spaces in my heart and having you in my life is enough.
I love every moment I spend with you. Every workout, every lazy day, every conversation. Regardless of how weird and clingy you are, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’d choose to have you by my side in silence or in talks any day than be anywhere else in the world without you. I’d rather be home and safe with you.
I’m so thankful to have you as my best friend and my role model, but I’m even more grateful knowing that I will forever be a little piece of an amazing human being, I’m lucky enough to call my mom.
I love you.
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