30til30: day 3, mom

i have 30 days until i celebrate my 30th year of life. i thought i would share with you 30 people, events and situations that have shaped my life and who i want to be. it has been very challenging to come up with 30…i hope it inspires you as it has me. this part of the list is in a specific order.

day 3: mom

writing succinctly about the ways your parents have impacted you is not easy.

i quite obviously wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for my mom. i was born when the option to choose life for your child was becoming en vogue. my mom had been a career woman and not every woman in her shoes might have chosen to birth the little one inside her. as a mom myself, the idea to abort a baby is horrific, but it’s not what every woman chooses. my mom had a choice.

when i was born, my parents made the decision that my mom would give up a well-paying career as a chemist in order to raise me and my sisters. it’s a decision they made that i’ve never regretted – and will soon emulate.

my mom invested in us as children. she poured her life into shaping our character and morals. she taught us to love singing and playing and cooking. she made play-dough. she ran the three miles with me my dad required before i started karate lessons. she nurtured my creativity by setting places for my pretend friends at the dinner table.

my mom believed in me. she hugged me through my first broken heart. and again the night michael broke up with me.

over the last 30 years, my mom has encouraged me. challenged me. spurred me on. loved me. she has stood beside me through tough decisions. she has cheered me on. in more ways than she’ll ever know.

i love you, mom. thanks for helping me be me.