Happy Mother's day!

First of all, I'd like to wish all you mothers (and expecting mothers) out there:

Happy Mother's Day!

I think we never really realise what mothers do for us until we're adults. I know my mom was so dedicated to both of us and we were her first priority (although as kids or teens, we didn't always believe she was on our side). She was always there for us, helped us with our homework, never missed bringing me to dance practise or my brother to hockey trainings, and so on.

My mom was always seen as the "cool neighbourhood mom". I remember that the meeting point /playground for the 15 or so kids around was our backyard. In summer, my mom would pop up all of a sudden and treat the whole neighbourhood kids with lemonade, or popsicles, or cookies. She would also faint at the sight of her own blood, but cleaned and bandaged my head when I accidentally ran into the corner of a brick wall. Then, she took me to the hospital to get the wound stiched. I was a tomboy, so I almost had a pass to hospital emergency :-)

Later, in my last high school year, I had two French and English classes (1 literature and 1 grammar each) and my French grammar teacher, Laurier, was really tough (but excellent). My mom, being a French Canadian and a teacher in the past, was not so strong in English, but was a wiz in French. I remember doing an average of 2 hours a day (!) of homework only for my French grammar class with her every evening. We usually had a lot of fun and even she was sometimes challenged (that's how tough Laurier was).

She has always told me that her philosophy about raising us was a hand of steel in a velvet glove. And that's exactly what she did. I am thankful for the way she raised us. She has taught us good values and to be open to others. She has always accepted people the way they were (and still does). She (like other mom's) always thought of others before thinking of herself.

Today, we are more than just mother and daughter, we're friends. We talk at least once a week and I wouldn't miss it for the world. She's a wonderful lady and sometimes forgets to treat herself to something special. So I'll make sure she gets more of that once we're back in Canada.

So here's to you Mom, for being a great teacher, a wonderful cook, a friend, a diplomat, caring for us when we were ill, giving us endless love and just being you! Mom: You're simply the best and I love you!