Happy Mothers Day

I am my mother.


This has been a family joke for sometime now, but the older I get, the more evidence there is to support it. Not in looks - I'm a fairly even mix of my parents physical genetics. I have my dad's nose and hair. I have my mom's chin and eyes.


But when it comes to personality, I'm mostly my mother. Mannerisms. Expressions. Voice intonations. Certain reactions to situations.  A lovely dramatic flair and a weakness for twizzlers - it's all her, and it only increases when we're together.


My dear husband didn't believe the claims at first. When we were dating, he would spend a few holidays and weekends with my family, and he would hear the jokes. He would say to me, "I'm sorry, I just don't see it."


Then we got married, and the poor guy's eyes were opened. Suddenly, his new bride would momentarily disappear and Peg Schumaker would be in his Malibu kitchen, passionately voicing her opinion and saying things like, "You know what I'm sayin'?" and "Can I just put that out there?"


Trips to Houston were enlightening. The similarities just kept coming. After one particularly eerie moment, where my mom and I said the same thing at the same time and cracked up, I turned and saw Bob, eyebrows raised, mouth slightly open, shaking his head, a look of disbelief on his face. Yep, the rumors were real.


Now, I'm not completely Peg Schumaker. I reason and think like my Dad. I have my own quirky way of looking at the world. I have qualities and reactions unique to my person. Where my mom is energized by being around people, I tend to fizzle out after awhile. I could never teach elementary school like she does, and I'm non-confrontational.

All that said, if I'm going to resemble one person in this world, I am so proud and tickled pink to resemble my mother. She is an extraordinary woman. She raised three great kids after having a rough start in life, and built an incredible marriage with my dad despite so many odds against them. She is incredibly intelligent, having graduated with her Masters Degree as a young mom to my sister and pregnant with me. She's constantly learning, and currently working on her second Masters. She teaches second-grade full time, tag-teams taking care of my grandma with my aunt, babysits regularly for her three grandkids, and somehow finds the time to laugh, enjoy life, call friends and yell at the democrats on TV. 


She has taught me to find the joy in any situation. It is from her I learned how to embrace life with abandon and to try new things. It is from her that I learned how to be optimistic in whatever the circumstances. She taught me the true meaning of grace, how to value and treat others, and what that looks like lived out. She inspires me with courageous words and life lessons, and keeps me aiming high. 
She taught me not to assign "good" and "bad" to situations, and to "stay in the struggle". She taught me how to cook, how to sew, how to clean things properly and how often my sheets need to be washed.


Who else cranks "Old Time Rockin' Roll" on the radio and dances around while cleaning the living room on a Saturday morning? Or stands in the middle of a group of crazy second graders and just laughs? Who else seeks to make the little things in life "festive", or welcomes strangers with the same graciousness and love she extends to her family?


No one but my mom.


For this, and many other things, I love you Mom.


Happy Mothers Day.