To my moms

On this Mother’s Day, I’m sad that I can’t spend it with my mom. I know today we’d be going over to my parent’s place and enjoying good quality family time, something my mom loves the most. It does bring me comfort knowing she is at home with my dad and sister, and enjoying the treats Jesse and I sent, but it’s definitely not the same. I normally don’t see my future mother-in-law during this time, but not knowing when I’m going to see her also weighs heavy on my heart. She does have Jesse’s siblings, sister-in-laws and granddaughter with her to celebrate today, but I wish we were with her, too. 

Since I can’t be with them in person, I want to take this time to dedicate this special Mother’s Day post to both my mom, Ingrid, and future mom-in-law, Sue. 

To my mom

I’m going to say a classic cliché line here: I wouldn’t be me if it wasn’t for you! You taught me how to work hard and love even harder. I started working at a young age because I wanted to be just like you and I always wanted the love that you and dad showed me. You always take care of everyone else, even when you’re extremely tired. I don’t know how you do it, it’s impossible for me to imagine! 

There are two pieces of advice that stuck with me a lot when I think about how much you shaped my life. The first is when I was in middle school and I was upset about what was going on with my friends at the time. You told me “you’re going to go through a lot of friendships throughout your life. You’re not going to meet your real friends until you’re older, in college.” That was mind blowing to me because college felt like a million years away at the time. But, not only were you absolutely right, but that was the best advice I needed to hear because it allowed me to enjoy the friendships that I made when I was younger and move on when those friendships fizzled out. And, then when I met my friends in college, I knew that I had to cherish it and make sure that it worked because of that advice you told me many years ago. 

The second advice came when I was single in summer 2013. I just got out of the last relationship I would ever have from being in college and I was stressed about where I would meet anyone new in the real world. You told me “you’ll meet him at work or something, there’s plenty of places.” About 2 months later, I met Jesse. Although I wasn’t thinking about this advice at the time, it did help me open up to the possibilities of where I could meet people and get excited about dating in the real world instead of being afraid. That advice allowed me to keep an open heart and meet someone who I’m looking forward to spending the rest of my life with.

In every instance, I’ve never questioned anything you told me because you’ve always been right and possibly a fortune teller! I love you so much and thank you for being the best mom I could ever ask for!

To my future mom-in-law

I am extremely fortunate to have you as my second mom! You treat me like one of your children and it’s helped me understand the values you instilled in Jesse that I love most about him. You’re the planner and the glue that keeps everyone together. While we’re on a family vacation you’re always thinking of the next one, making sure we keep up with this tradition so we can make memories as a family. Even though we don’t always respond the best when you ask us questions, I know that you want to make sure our future is secure and that we’re thinking through all our decisions. I’ve learned over the years being with you that you ask us a lot of questions out of love. It’s never to pry into our lives or make us feel like we’re doing something wrong, it’s because you want the best for us and I know that when I need you, you’ll be there for me. 

My favorite moments together are when me, you and Jesse are sitting at the kitchen table eating lunch. Those moments I look forward to the most because it’s the times where we get to know each other better. I love hearing all your stories about coming to America, working really hard with Jesse’s dad owning businesses to make a living while raising three boys! Just like my mom, I don’t know how you did it because even when you’re tired, you make sure you take care of everyone else first. 

And that’s why I love you so much, because you and my mom share similar values: hard working, loving, and putting others first. 

I’m so lucky to have two women who I can look up to as a guiding light on how to be a great mom myself one day. 

Thank you both for all that you’ve given me and for all that you’ll do for us in the future! 

Happy Mother’s Day!