Dear Thirteen: Mom Was Right
In the year of 2025 I have come to realise that despite all my fighting, despite my arguments and my whining, there are some things my mom was simply correct about. To celebrate her on her day of birth, here are six things that she was right about. I am certain there are more but I gotta keep her humble
1) It’s that damn phone:
Over the last few months I’ve started to realise that I can trace around 50% of my negative self image and weird feelings about growing up to my phone. Seeing people I went to school with getting engaged and having babies. People younger than me that are so successful it makes me feel small. Watching the world crumble before my very eyes. It’s too much and it makes me crazy! Human beings were never meant to have unlimited access to everyone's thoughts! In recent months I’ve cut down my screen time exponentially and my mental health has improved! To be fair I am also in therapy and working through my past but perhaps…Perhaps it was always that damn phone.
2) A clean house = a clean mind:
This feels self explanatory… My room is always clean, my bed is always made, and I’m better for it. When I’ve had an awful day, coming home to a clean house is like coming home to a warm hug. Everything feels better.
3)If you CAN help, you SHOULD help:
My mother is the kind of person that would give you the clothing off of her back. There are people in this world that I call my siblings simply because my mother wrapped them in her arms and held them close. I didn’t understand this when I was kid. I thought she was too kind, gave things away willingly, and was too ready to help. But as I’ve gotten older I realise now that she was right. The same people she was supporting then turned around and made sure my siblings and I were fed and clothed. They took us to practices and drove us to school. My mother does good things because they are the right thing to do and it has ALWAYS paid off. The cost of being in a community is often inconvenience.
4) I am yet in the land of the living and for this I should give God praise:
When people ask me how I’m doing and I can’t say that I’m doing good, I respond the way my mom taught me. That I am yet in the land of the living. Every day that I am above ground is a good day. Even when it feels hard, scary, and nearly impossible, I am still here. The sun will rise and I will try again.
5) Trying is already winning:
Just giving something your best shot is enough to impress my mom. An elite athlete would impress her the same way the world whistling champ would impress her. My mother loves someone that tries their best. When my siblings and I came home with C’s on our report cards her first question was always “did you try your best?” If the answer was yes, the conversation was over. She never wanted perfection, she wanted effort.
6) She would love me forever:
There is no one on earth more on my team than my mommy. She loves me like she loves air. I know in my heart and in my soul, if I was to pack my car up and drive to Georgia tonight; she’d welcome me with open arms. The tattoo on my arm will never be enough to express the love I have for her. The peace being with her brings me. The ease with which she loves me. She is my sun, my moon, and all of my stars. I love her from here to the moon and back.
Happy Birthday Ma Dear,
The woman who clapped so loudly I never noticed who didn’t
