Special Memorial Day Mamma Monday

>First of all, I would like to say thank you to all those who have served in the armed forces for keeping us free and safe! This is a special day because every American has the whole day to really reflect on the many blessings we have as a nation, all made possible by your dedication and sacrifice. THANK YOU!

On that note, for my first Mamma Monday I have chosen to write about a mamma who is not only a HUGE part of my life and VERY special to me, but someone who knows all too well the sacrifices a military spouse has to make.

This friend, D, and I met when we were both in first grade. She lived down the street from me and we used to walk to each other’s houses pretty much every day. We would hang out in one of our houses, draw pictures of the Little Mermaid, watch Tale Spin and Duck Tales, or play games outside. We lived in the country, so we always had plenty of space to run around and play hide and seek or make believe (where we pretended we had to survive in the wilderness).

Anyway, D and I were two peas in a pod (for instance, one of the “games” we’d play is who can read faster – D always won) and that hasn’t really changed 18 years later (there’s a gap in this story that will be filled later). So when we got pregnant within months of each other, it wasn’t really surprising. But, though we are alike in many ways, our similarities are not what I’m writing about today.

What makes D a special Mamma is the dedication she has, and always had since before her baby was born, to her family. She is the wife of a Marine who loved and honored her husband by moving away from her family and friends to live in a marine city alone while he was based internationally (about five years of their marriage) where she worked as a nanny and earned the respect of many families.

After enduring the time and distance they moved back to where their extended families live. There, D worked hard as a teacher, where I know she made a huge impact in many children’s lives because she was the kind of teacher who (like the special teachers in my past who have made the biggest impact on me) expects enough of her students to give them confidence but not too much to be intimidating. She has the perfect balance of determination and forbearance and this has also made her an wonderful mamma.

Patient and graceful D is an AMAZING mamma to her beautiful baby girl. She loves her with every inch of her being and, I know, will raise her to be an intelligent, confident, diligent, and caring woman who I hope will be just as big a part of my son’s life as her mamma is to mine.

For more on the details of our friendship and a guest blog post from D, check back either tomorrow or Wednesday!

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