Mother's Day Contest Entry - From Kathy to her Mom Barbara

Here is another wonderful tribute - from Kathy to her Mom, Barbara. Thanks Kathy for sharing your Mom with us.

(Kathy's Mom - Barbara)

My Mom is not only my mother, but my best friend. She lived a hard life bringing up her children. She was married two days after she turned 18 years old and then she had me (her first baby - Kathy) 14 months later. I was only two months old and she was pregnant with my sister Debi. She had one kid for each arm. My Dad worked a lot and was hardly ever home and therefore, my Mom brought us up almost like a single mother. She was always there for us in every way. We did not have a lot of money and we lived in the country in an old house with a lot of problems. We had a lot of soup and sandwiches when we were kids, but Mom always made it seem special. Any time we passed the general store, my sister and I would say "candy" and she would pull the car right in (even though most of the time, it was the last of her money). My mother would make up games for us to play. She would shine flashlights on the ceiling and she would make up stories at bedtime. It wasn't all about money back then, but family and picnics and I have wonderful memories. I can remember my Mom doing a lot of things alone, like getting Christmas presents together and trying to assemble bikes for us. She always had a smile, even though a lot of the time, she never received a gift for Christmas herself. I grew up and had a baby myself and unfortunately my baby was born with spina bifida. The babies father left me. Now I was the single mother - for real. My Mom invited me back into her house and she was there through my labor, rubbing my back until she was exhausted and then staying with me until I got back on my feet. My son did not have a good outlook at first and needed major surgery at only a few hours old. He was in the hospital for a few weeks and then finally was released. Mom went to all of the doctor appointments for my son with me (23 doctor appointments the first month he came home) and then I ended up back in the hospital with an infection when the baby was only a few months old. She took care of him (sick as he was) and then actually quit her job at the bank because everything was so out of control. As the baby got older, he was looking better and better. I don't think I could have made it through the most difficult time that I experienced in my life, if it wasn't for my mother. She is my inspiration and I only hope that I can carry on and be like her. She took care of my Grandmother too and I want her to know that I will be there for her if she ever needs me. Everybody loves her that she comes in contact with. She is kind, faithful, beautiful, strong, sensitive and really funny (almost like Lucille Ball in some of our situations) and I just love her so much. I could never ask for a better Mom and I think we are so close because we are so close in age. Most of my fondest memories in my life have been because of my Mother. She is very special. I can't imagine anything being good enough to give my Mom. I think she really deserves something like a limo ride to a spa, lunch with her three girls and a gift certificate for a new outfit. Thank you for this opportunity to be able to tell someone about a real Mom.