i remember my mom reading to me as a child like it was happening only yesterday.
i remember the way we lounged. the way her breathing fell in synch with mine. and the way she always did the best voices. my mom and i are suckers for good books. especially when they involve penguins in hawaiian shirts who dance to their own kind of music. i remember first grade. there was a time when one of your parents could come in and read to the class. my mom read "tacky the penguin" and i acted it out. bowl cut and all i was as silly as silly can be. and i'll never forget the way my friends and teacher marveled at my mom's story-telling skills. it was one of the first times i remember thinking: that's my mom. she's mine. i'm hers. i'm so lucky. i grew older and i realized the differences between my mom and i. for a while i told myself that our differences should in some way separate us. i allowed what made us different to make me forget what made us alike. then i grew up a little more. and i realized how much i cherish my mom. how much i rely on her. how proud i am to be her daughter. she is so brilliant. she is the first person i want to share good news with and the first person i fall on when the weight of life crushes me. i will never be able to truly appreciate her sacrifices. no child ever really can. that's why we call our moms. send them love letters. we remind them of our love for them whenever we remember their love for us. and i am ever so fortunate to be a child who is reminded she is loved. "hey, kid," she says when she answers the phone. "hey, mom" thanks for loving me when i forget how to love myself. thanks for seeing a purpose in me that sometimes i can't see myself. thanks for sharing your wisdom, grace, and beauty with me. but most of all, thanks for appreciating good books. out of all the stories we've read together, yours and mine is my favorite. i love you, mom. and a million hugs to every kind of mom out there this mother's day. xo
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