I was about 11 or 12 when it happened.
I was sitting on the concrete bleachers at Morgana Park waiting for my brother's baseball game to start. My mom hadn't arrived yet and my dad was most likely either coaching the game or behind the plate umpire at another. None of my friends had arrived at the summer hang out yet, so I sat... people watching.
My mom arrived and sat down not far from me, but not yet seeing me. I was a little perturbed she didn't see me and decided I would not sit by her.
Then it happened.
Two woman sitting near me, had also watched my mom arrive and sit down. The one woman turned to the other and said she is very pretty. I was taken aback, and not just because this was Morgana Park. I had always thought my mom was pretty, but I had never heard a stranger say this.
I was speechless, which was pretty unheard of even back then. I was then filled with a great sense of pride. I found my voice and I said to the women, that's my mom. They looked at me for a few moments, as if studying me, and then smiled at me.
I gingerly got up and went to sit by my mom glancing back at the women and smiling.
I had always known my mom was pretty, but I had never focused on this. I focused on how strong she was, how hard she worked, how she was always at games or plays, always doing everything she could to be a good mother. Due to all this, I never doubted that you could be independent, but in a loving relationship, a career woman and a mom, smart and beautiful.
I never doubted because my mom had shown me my entire life you could.
Happy Mother's Day!
