We've hit the mother lode

Take a moment and think about what your mother means to you.
I know what my mother means to me.
She is the person I call when I’m in the middle of an existential crisis.
She is the person I know I can call at any hour of the day if I need her.
She is the person I know will always accept me, no matter how much I screw up.
Think about that.
How many people do you know who guarantee you that level of acceptance?
Unless you have a posse of extremely devoted friends, I doubt you could name many.
This acceptance is wonderful, but it’s even more wonderful because it’s given without a second thought.
It is not given with stipulations, conditions or provisions. It’s not handed out to any stranger.
It’s given to you, and you should be grateful.
You see, it’s hard enough to go to college and leave everything you’ve ever known behind — your home, your friends, your town.
You even leave your family as you set out to forge your own path in this world, and it’s frightening because this world is unknown to us fledgling adults.     
I certainly never knew what to expect.
Though college wasn’t as difficult a transition as I anticipated, I knew I could never have done it without my mother’s support.
I can only think of the people who have had more difficult times adjusting than I did and how their mothers’ support enabled them to carry on and not lose faith in themselves.
They provide the solid foundation on which we can begin building our lives.
I remember finding a video online where an interviewer was interviewing people for the “world’s toughest job.”
The interviewees became angry when the interviewer named the job responsibilities: 24-hour work days, no breaks, no sitting down and absolutely no pay.
The interviewees were flabbergasted.
That is, until the interviewer revealed the “world’s toughest job” was, in fact, being a mother.
It’s easy to forget all the positive aspects a person plays in your life.
Just by nature, the good memories fade to the background while the shocking and negative take the foreground.
But let us not forget the positive memories and recognize the memories we cannot even remember — the late nights as a baby when your mother soothed you, the times you fell down as a toddler and she picked you up, the countless times she picked you up after school and greeted you with a warm smile.
We’ve truly hit the mother lode.
So take a moment and think of what your mother means to you.
And then go give her a hug and tell her.
I don’t think I will ever be able to find the words to do my mom justice.

allenjo@indiana.edu
    @IAmJoshAllen