My First Lessons

So my mother sent me to this site and encouraged me to blog. She is the strongest woman I know. She is also opinionated and a nag (love ya, Mama)! Unfortunately she seems to always be right. I value her opinions now as I am a middle aged, twice divorced woman. I seem to be the biggest source for all of her worries. But worrying makes her happy. (I must make her absolutely ecstatic)!!

I have made so many mistakes in my life and yet she still stands behind me. Occasionally it is with one raised eyebrow and her glare that reminds my that I will always be her little girl. Isn't it funny how you usually feel like a grown up except when in the company of your mother? The best time to feel like a kid around her is when she acts like a kid too. Not childish but childlike.

Between my mom and my late Nanny (her mother), I learned how to Live, Laugh and Love. I still remember waking up for school and hearing their laughter from the kitchen table. No, they hadn't gotten up early to prepare my breakfast; they never went to bed. (Maybe they are the reason I am still awake at 4:30 in the morning writing my first blog post) I also recall, with fond memories, the two of them making a mad dash for the bathroom. Inevitably one or the other makes it just short of the goal line. Wet pants making for another round of hysterical, uncontrollable laughter.

They are both survivors. They each had more than their share of obstacles in their lives, but they never let it get them down for long. They have taught me how to really live. Not live as in existing. I mean enjoying life and everything that goes along with it. My Nanny led a little bit of a fantasy life; pushing her problems to the side by inventing a new adventure. A day trip to the mall was more exciting than a trip around the world. My mom is more of a realist. Her passion for living is born from the real world. She overcame her hurdles and found the things in life that matter.

Their abundant love also taught me the art of love. Perhaps we love to our detriment, yet we still open our hearts as if they have never been broken! Between the three of us we have a sum total of nine marriages and eight divorces. Who knows how many others we have loved and lost!?!