Does anyone have a greater influence on a woman than her mother? For good or for bad, we are always working to please the woman who brought us into this world.
I think what I love most about my relationship with my mom is that I realize as I sit down to write this that no matter how many different mother's day posts I do, I never run out of ways she's shaping me. The older I get, the closer we get, the more I learn from her. Seriously. I would venture to guess that she's got more influence in my life today than she did ten years ago ... mostly because I'm finally maturing enough to really listen and the value of her words and lessons is increasing daily.
I've chronicled numerous times how opposite my mom and I are in personality. But, the older I get, the more I love that. I have so much to learn from her gentle, quiet, reticent ways.
My mother as a woman of influence, where do I begin? She pushes me to be my best. She never settles for an easy answer. She sets high standards and never accepts cop outs. She loves faithfully, loyally, consistently, generously. She pays attention to details, and therefore, gives very good gifts. She loves and cares for my Mimi ... and my Dad ... and me ... in the most selfless ways. I genuinely worry sometimes that I'll never be able to be the daughter to her that I watch her being to my Mimi. She just keeps giving.
My mom is shy and sometimes less confident than I wish for her to be. She has no idea how talented and wonderful she is. She's hard on herself and therefore misses how absolutely lovable she is. She doesn't give herself enough credit for her knowledge and wisdom of life and experience. And, I am certain she'd smile more if she had any idea how brilliantly her smile lights up a room. There are plenty of things about my mom that are remarkable all on her own, but when I begin to think about the way my Dad loves her, my heart swells. She would be the first to agree with me that my Dad is one of the most honorable men I know, but I sometimes think she fails to see the significance of that in light of the way he loves her. He chooses her. He prefers her. He would rather spend a day with her than be anywhere in the world without her. She makes him laugh like nobody else can. He seeks her out for wisdom, encouragement, support. He trusts her because she has proven herself worthy of his trust. He looks for ways to make her smile. :-)
Many women have influenced me. I am who I am today because of each of them in some great or small way. But, none of them, will ever leave the mark on my life that Stephanie Horton has made. And, I'm the only one in the world who gets to call her Mom.
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