30 Days of Gratitude -- Day 30
>> Sunday, November 30, 2008
I am grateful for...
Mom and Dad. They have been very helpful and supportive, especially this last year with all the "bad stuff". Thank you for all your help! I love you!
Here's a copy of the toast I wrote last summer for my speech class:
While quirky and unconventional, my mom has always exemplified all that is best in a mother. My mom doesn’t like to bake and hates making crafts, but she finds math books fascinating. She doesn’t follow the latest styles or know how to fix her hair, yet she never missed a back to school night. Mom raised 7 children who are smart, independent, and strong willed.
When I was young we didn’t have much money. Instead of working, mom sacrificed and made due with very little so that she could be home with us. She found many ways to economize. For example, whenever we had chicken for dinner my mom would split it into 8 pieces for the rest of us while she would eat the liver. When mom bought ice cream, she knew it would be eaten quickly. So, to be fair she would use a ruler and cut the block of ice cream into 9 equal pieces so that everyone would get some. With the little extra money mom and dad did have, mom spent it giving us dance and piano lessons instead of spending it on furniture or clothes. She would tell us that we could always buy things later, but we wouldn’t have another chance to learn the piano.
Education was always very important to her. We were raised knowing that a good education was necessary and that we were expected to get good grades and to go to college. Through the years mom proofread countless papers and spent many nights helping us with our algebra. Recently mom has returned to college to fulfill her lifelong dream of earning a graduate degree. She just graduated last May with her master’s degree in education with a math emphasis.
Even now when I’ve grown, my mom is still there for me. Knowing how busy and overwhelmed I am with school, especially during finals, she drove out from California to spend the week with me and watch my children and clean my house while I study.
My only wish is that someday I can be as good of a mother as she has been.
