Una Flor ... Rosa: Mi Madre
Mi madre … how to describe her? How to put into words what she means to me? I do not think there is a word that can compile all the feelings and emotions that she causes me to feel. My mom is a true fountain of hope. A hardworking woman who has endured years of selflessness to care and help nurture a family. She’s a great listener. She does talk a lot, and in excess at times, but she knows how to listen as well and make you feel that there is nothing as important as you at that moment. My mom and my dad have had great times as well as their fair share of awful ones. As a marriage that began for her at the age of 16, it is almost unbelievable to see it still standing in these modern times.
It is often interesting to see how a mother can quickly and shrewdly change just as a chameleon in order to understand and tend to her very different children. My mother can easily be the MTV TR3S mom for my youngest brother. She knows what and who RTL, Road Rules, TiVo, PSP, Justin Timberlake, 50 Cent and other anglo celebrities are. She is in tune with what he likes and what he doesn’t like. It is extremely obvious by her choices when buying gifts and greeting cards for him, as well as when helping someone encourage her youngest son. My mom also becomes a romance guru in order to help my other brother with his endless arguments within his tumultuous relationships. She is there to guide him, admonish him and unexpectedly unbiased advice him on the subject of love.
As in my case, my mom is the gay-friendly mom. She knows exactly what to ask and what not to ask. I understand it must be tough to hear certain aspects of the gay lifestyle, so I spare her the details. I can sense sometimes when what I share is becoming too much, so I try to change the subject and/or tone it down a little bit. She keeps me on my toes in regards to my doctor’s appointments and constantly asks me about my lab results. She has learned to manage these new areas of my life very well. She also talks to me about her life, her goals, her fears and secrets. She goes shopping with me and does not hesitate to ask me for my input on style, even when choosing lingerie. It is funny, but extremely comforting to know I have her full support. We work out together and watch chick flicks. I sometimes think I am the daughter she never had :)
A couple of weeks ago right after we took her out to Cielito Lindo for dinner and to listen to El Mariachi Sol de Mexico to celebrate Mother’s Day I asked her, in a jokingly kind of way: “Mom, what am I going to do with my life??” She replied: “What you have to do is find someone, get married and adopt some kids.” I was speechless. She did not say to get wife. She said to find someone. And she did not say to have kids, but instead to adopt kids. I have no idea how difficult it must have been to get to this point and utter those words. However, I felt a great sense of comfort by knowing that my mom is accepting me for who I am, whether or not her preconceived ideas and religious beliefs accept and respect my choice of lifestyle. She’s my mom and she’s got my back and I thank God for that!!!
posted by Guerrero Azteca @ 3:31 PM
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