Our Rock of Gibraltar

Jimmy Buffet has always says before he sings the song "The Coconut Telegraph," that "if you don't want it printed, don't do it....or you might end up on The Coconut Telegraph."  I sort of agree to that philosophy with my blog.  I realized in all of my postings there was someone I had forgotten to post about.  In comparison to my two Profiles in Courage blogs, I don't think that category fits.  While this person is courageous, this person would not want to be compared to a cop or a soldier.  I have done blogs about friends.  While this person is a friend, this person is so much more than that.  I think glue is a word that best describes this person.  You might not think of that as a compliment but let me explain.

I have made no bones that my father is my hero, and was always my best friend.  He straddled the line between Dad and friend better than anyone could have.  Despite that, it was Mom who has always held things together.  Mom, is our family's glue.  Mom, is our Rock of Gibraltar.  Through good times and through bad, Mom always kept us together.  To this day, I love going home because she always makes me feel welcomed.  No matter what stress is going on, no matter how minuscule of a notice I gave her, she wants to drop everything to take care of her baby boy.  She has been loyal to my father for almost 50 years.  She was there day after day.  While Dad busted his ass at work, it was Mom who who shaped us the most.  She got the nickname "Iron Mother," but to be honest- I am not really sure how??  I honestly don't remember her being that hard.  Sure she spank us if we needed- but it never seemed to get that far.  She used the line "if you don't stop crying, I will take you out to the car and give you something to cry about."  A line I used today, but I don't remember her doing it that often.  She had the Vulcan under arm grip that I am trying to perfect but she never used it much.  She was like the perfect Ninja Mom.  A Ninja doesn't have to show other people they are a bad ass- they don't have to kick ass to prove that they can.  People just fall in line because they know.  That was sort of my Mom.  And of course she knew the line that worked on me the most "Don't make me tell your father."  She knew I didn't want to let down my father. 

As I got older, I changed.  Mom did too.  She became more emotional- more caring.  She knew she had done her job- hopefully well.  She knew she needed to mold us less and love us more.  And I held the magic ability to make her cry at the drop of a hat.  After all, I am her baby boy.  I learned a lot from my Mom but I think her greatest lesson to me was that of how to be a great parent.  She gave a lot for Patrick and I but I think her greatest gift was that of loyalty.  She showed Patrick and I what it means to be the glue to hold a family together.  A glue that all families need.  If they do not have that glue, they will not succeed.

I said the best word for Mom was glue...I was wrong.  The best word for Mom, is love.  And you know what, she makes one hell of a MaMaw.