- By Lou Generous
As Mother's day approaches I'm reminded how blessed I am to have the most AMAZING mom on the planet! Raised in the midwest, my mom had everything to do with defining who I eventually would become. She is quite frankly the toughest lady I know and she taught me how to be strong and bold. She is a woman of both physical and emotional strength who as a kid I can remember had a sledge hammer in one hand assisting with the tearing down and remodeling of our old farmhouse and a decorating tube in the other as the entrepreneurial "cake boss" of Crete, Illinois. I doubt she really made any money by the time you factored in her labor and the cost of materials, but every cake was simply a gorgeous work of art. It was watching her run that little business of hers that truly inspired me and gave me the courage to one day become the co-founder and CEO of an 85-person technology company.
Always the encourager, my mom has always been there for me. As the first one to go to college in my family, I was so afraid. But it was my mom that demanded college was non-optional. We were clueless, but I would go! I can still remember her helping me pack my Ford Pinto and saying goodbye in the driveway as I rolled off to college...both of our eyes filled with tears. Then again after graduating from college, having had my heart broken, mom helped to pack the Ford Pinto once again and supported my big move to the East Coast knowing that I would find my way. Mom has always been my "go to" person. When my husband proposed the first thing that came out of my mouth after saying "okay I will" was "I've got to call my mom!" When my own children were born, it was mom who jumped on the first airplane to be at my side.
My mom has truly set the example for all of us as I've watched her dedicate her life to caring for others...beginning with her own mother, my grandmother. What a blessing it was for us to have Grandma living with us. Crippled with arthritis, she couldn't walk. But her presence was like having an angel in our midst. My mom cared for her every single day...what an example she set! Having Grandma with us also meant sit-down meals and friends and relatives visiting every weekend. Surely, my mom has single handedly cooked for armies over the years.
As the years have passed, my mom continues to put everyone else before herself...her home is still the old farmhouse, but today it's "home base" for all of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She and my handsome dad have been married for 60 years. As childhood sweethearts they set the bar high for what life is supposed to look like. Always putting God first, they are the one place EVERYONE feels at home!
So on this Mother's Day I want to tweet, post and SHOUT: THANK YOU MOM! ! You have always been at my side through the good times and the bad...thank you for encouraging me, pushing me and believing in me...thanks for being my "go to" person...the first one I reach to....and more than a mom, thank you for being my best friend! LOVEYOUMORE! <3
