To All Of My Mothers

So, today is Mother’s Day and I have done my best to wish all of the mothers that I know a happy day and show them my admiration. But what I’ve realized that I need to do is thank the women who have mothered me in my life.

My mom of course is at the top of that list. I love her and she loves me and I have learned a lot from her.  I’ve even written that blog already but there are other mums out there to thank as well.

(A Boy And His Mom)

In high school I had a lot of second mothers. My friends Josh and Tyson used to invite me over to hang out a lot and their mom was amazing to me. If dinner was available I was invited. If dishes needed to be washed I was expected to help. And when something in my life went well I felt like she was proud of me. I liked that a lot. And at the time I needed it. One year I did buy her a Mother’s Day card, but that was a long time ago now. So here is my thank you to Mrs. Hass, you were always awesome to me, and I appreciate it.

My friend Troy and I started hanging out even earlier than that and his mom was pretty awesome to me as well. We didn’t get away with murder, but we were allowed to enjoy ourselves and as we got older we came and went from the house a lot. She called me by my nickname and always made me feel comfortable in her home. And congratulations go out to her as she gets to welcome Troy’s fiancee Heather into the family. Thank you Mrs. Williams for being cool with me when I was a handful.

Around that same time I was living with my Grandma and she did some mothering of her own. Heck, I’ve written a huge chunk of novel with her playing that central role. The people that knew her will tell you all about the great things she did. And I feel like the words I would write today just wouldn’t be enough. This is woman that raised 7 children in her home and then, when she had been kid free for years, invited me to live with her and my grandpa. Either she loved me a lot, or she loved to mother. Maybe both. Thank you gran. 8 years has gone by fast.

As the years moved on I met other women who mothered me in different ways. For a time I lived with my ex girlfriend and her family and Tracy was a big part of my life in the mom role. She pushed me to be good. Treated me like part of the family. And made me feel good about myself and my life. Things weren’t always great in my head while I was in that relationship, but I was cared for. One of the hardest parts of that break-up was losing the family that I’d become a part of. Thank you Tracy for everything that you did for me.

While I was transitioning out of that relationship I was living with my Aunt Leesa. The same Aunt Leesa that has commented on the blogs here before. She was always a good listener for me when I was in high school. She still is today. But she took me in, gave me a bed, made me dinner and always seemed happy to do it. She’s a lot like her mom, but is her own person. And she needs to know that I appreciate that balance. She brings the best parts of gran into her caring and mothering. I know her daughter appreciates it too.

Now that I’m a grown-up (by age mostly) I don’t get mothered as much as I once did. But there are still some amazing women in my life that help make me feel loved and important. My step-mom is one of them for sure. She loves having people around and it’s a good time being at their place. My friend Tenleigh’s mom always makes a fuss over me when I visit. And that makes me feel good. I’ve never felt like I didn’t belong in their house. And now they have a new house for me to feel that way in.

There are others as well. Ones from the past and the present that would take forever to mention here today. And I’m sure that there will be more in the future. To all of them, thank you. You are all amazing women and fantastic mothers.

Now, it’s time to call my mom again and tell her I love her.

Author profile

Joshua Murray

creator of content, daddy blogger, writer, coffee drinker, fan of the Batman. proud mo bro. prouder dad.