Good morning, fine people, and thanks for joining us bright and early this morning — or perhaps dim and late. These posts do not expire, although their relevance dwindles considerably after 24 hours.
Regular readers of this post know where we’re going with this one. No nonsense today. It’s Mother’s Day, a Tier 1 holiday if ever there was one. This post is dedicated to all the great moms out there across The County Line coverage area and beyond, but our two owners/founders need to mention a few in particular.
Wes:
I’m lucky to have been raised by as good of a mom as anyone could hope to have. Jaime drove my sisters and I to hundreds, if not thousands of ballgames, practices, competitions over the years, always staying to cheer us on in wins and pick us up after losses. She made sure we were in church every Sunday, usually picking up at least one or two friends on the way to join us. She taught me how to read and passed on her love of writing to me. Growing up, Mom was also especially strict, which was a constant annoyance that I can now appreciate a little better, even if the “no wrestling on TV” rule is one I will always argue against.
Still one of my biggest supporters in everything I do, I’m sure she’ll read this, so happy Mother’s Day, Mom!
While I only have one mother, there are three others I must mention in this post as well. My wife, Andrea, is the hardest-working, never-say-quit woman I have ever met, and is an overachiever in the “mom” department 100 percent of the time. No matter what challenges come her way — and there have been some challenges — she somehow handles them, and I couldn’t imagine how anyone else could do it better.
The next two, my little sisters, Kara and Laura. In my decade-long career in this field, they’ve harassed me endlessly for never writing about them, so they better be reading this morning because this should hold them off for another 10 years. Each of them are moms now.
Kara’s been a mom for what seems like forever at this point, with her two kids, Eli and Eva, playing little league and doing gymnastics and absolutely never shutting up. They’re awesome, and I guess the oldest younger sister gets some credit for that. Seeing Laura go from the baby sis to the mom of twins Leighton and Jonah this past year has been its own adventure. The baby having babies is just weird, and Laura will always be the infant of the family, no matter how old she gets. Like Dwight Schrute before her, she’s proving that babies can raise children (I doubt many will get this joke referencing an episode of “The Office” that first aired 12 years ago, but Laura definitely will).
There are a lot of other moms out there who I’m incredibly grateful for: my late grandmothers, all my aunts (I have approximately 40, I think — all good ones), my cousins and friends, and my friends’ moms: The childhood friends’ mothers who were like second moms to me, always there to let me hitch a ride, stay the night, eat a meal, and make me feel at home in their homes. This is the kind of day that you appreciate more the older you get, so as someone who is without question older than he used to be, I’m thankful to celebrate all the moms today.
John:
My mom has always had a quiet strength about her. When she meant business, it didn’t take too many words to know it. It was always effective, too, because it so rarely happened. Now as a parent of two, I don’t know how she held it together so well. We were good kids, but looking back, I can’t say I would have shared her restraint as often as she did. I’m grateful for not only that but also her willingness to do anything for us. Growing up in Creelsboro, every basketball practice, academic team meet, and all of my other many obligations meant an hour’s worth of driving round-trip. That doesn’t even include time waiting around for practice to get finished or trips to Kmart for an after-practice Whatchamacallit. Even with doing that for three different kids and working, we still had home-cooked meals all the time. It almost seems unfathomable, but at the same time, if you know my mom, it makes perfect sense.
I’m lucky enough to have married another woman who pulls off the unfathomable all the time. I recently had the chance to take care of our 5-year-old and 11-month-old for a few days by myself. What was difficult for me, Stephanie pulls off regularly with ease. She is the perfect mix of strong, loving, caring, and tough as a mother, and she inspires me daily. I know our children are in good hands as we continue this journey as parents, and I couldn’t have chosen anyone better for the wild and bumpy ride that is parenthood. I know Grayson and Madalynn will be able to write their own glowing columns about their mother someday, and I can’t wait to read them.
There are too many other mothers in my life to mention them all and give them their proper due. My own grandmothers both spoiled me in their own ways and always made me feel loved in a way no one else could. My mother-in-law has taken me in as her own son, and I’m forever grateful for that. Stephanie’s grandmothers also welcomed me with open arms and have done so much for my family and me. I could never thank any of them enough for what they’ve done in my life. There are so many in-laws, friends, cousins, and others that excel as mothers as well. As we celebrate all mothers today, just know that I am in awe at how amazing you all are. Mothers aren’t something any of us should take for granted. With the ones surrounding me, I know I never will.
We gave the interns the day off today, so no official weather report, but expect sunny skies and a high approaching 70 — perfect weather for a back-porch Mother’s Day get-together.
Thanks for joining us again and have a good one!
