Let Me Tell You About My Mom
This Sunday is Mother's Day, so I wanted to share something. Many of you know my mom, many of you likely don't. Someday, I hope you get the chance to meet her if you haven't; but until then, let me tell you about my mom.
My mom is the strongest woman I know.
I'm not sure if there's anything she can't or won't do for her kids. She seriously just doesn't stop. She lives to serve, and if anyone has the spiritual gift of serving, it's certainly my mother. And she has been gifted this heart in abundance. At family meals, she was always the last to eat so that she could make sure she had served everyone else first. This is a woman who has presumably not thought about herself once in her adult life.
Whether it's working three jobs as a single mom of two young girls, or raising a stubborn and crazy teenage boy while battling health issues, she is the truly the greatest.
My mother suffers from lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, and a slew of other health issues, and has for well over a decade. But you might never know because no matter how she's feeling, she will fix you a cup of coffee and set you up with a blanket despite your protests. Let me tell you about my mom.
My mom is the greatest caretaker the world has ever seen.
The day after my senior year of high school, in 2007, my parents moved to Oklahoma, and through a unique set of circumstances, ended up living with my grandparents, my dad's parents. My grandmother had discovered her cancer had returned. Enter: my mom.
For years, my mother was the best nurse for her mother-in-law. She sat with her day and night and made sure every need was met, all while enduring her own hardships with her own health. Can I tell you about my mom?
She stepped up in the right time as a gift from God and helped my dad's mother all her days until she finally lost her battle with cancer. She never looked to her own interests.
In February of 2008, I began to suffer from severe nerve damage as a result of a hereditary disease (that's another blog post for another time). By the middle of March, I had lost roughly 90% of the function in both of my arms. I was living in Lubbock at the time, attending Texas Tech University, but I couldn't maintain that life in my condition. So I had to move back in with my parents (every 19-year-old's dream, right?). I was completely dependent on my mother once again.
My mom, (did I mention she's the best?) took on double duty taking care of my grandmother and myself. Did I mention that my mother has her own illnesses to worry about? But you would never know because she spent all her time caring for me and my grandmother. Let me tell you about my mom.
My mom is the best encourager.
Growing up I was many things. I was Brett Favre. I was Michael Jordan. I was Jimi Hendrix. My mother always told me I could be anything and do anything. If you had asked a young Cameron if there was anything I couldn't do, I would have said, "No, because my mom told me so."
And it would have been true. I truly thought I could do anything because, in her eyes, I could. In her eyes, I was the best quarterback. I was the best small forward. I could play guitar better than anyone because when her eyes, I was better than anyone.
And really, that's exactly what a little boy needs. He needs to be encouraged. He needs to know that he is the apple of his mom's eye. I never knew how valuable that would be, until now.
Sure, it was awkward trying out for football and not being as good as I thought. It was weird trying out for a guitar part and not getting a callback, but it's okay. Because I know that in my mother, I will always have my biggest fan. Can I tell you about my mom?
Happy Mother's Day
I couldn't have asked for a better upbringing or a better mother. I can't say I was always a good kid, in fact, I was often the absolute worst. I said things I didn't mean, and did some really stupid things. But through it all, my mom was patient, gentle, kind, caring, and I knew that I would always have a fan in her.
Thanks, mom, for being the absolute best. I love you!
