Mother's Day - My Mom

I walked into the large conference room for Take Your Child to Work Day. My mom had worked for Proctor & Gamble for a while; this wasn't my first time at her office. An unfamiliar face walked up to me.

"Are you Shelli's son?" she asked me as if she was, well, talking to a little kid.

"Yeah," I replied, a bit under my breath.

I wanted to be Mitch. I couldn't stand being known as "Shelli's son".

About 25 years ago, I was born to the parents of Mark and Shelli Hammond. I am so blessed to have two great parents. However, today is about Shelli, my mom.

For the past week, I knew I wanted to write something about her. And, for the past week, I have struggled with what to say. This isn't because there was nothing to say, but because there was so much to say that I had no idea what to include. How could I convey the sacrifices she made, the love she gave, and the mother she was?

And then I realized something.

I can't.

And that's not necessarily a bad thing. There's something special and beautiful when something cannot be properly described. Like the feeling you get the first time you see the ocean or witness a shooting star. You can't describe it the way it deserves to be described. It just...is.

I could say a lot about my mom.
I could list out everything she did just to make me smile.
I could tell you about all the times she stood up for me and hugged me when I was feeling down.
I could pass along the life lessons and attributes that I learned from my mom.
I could show you countless cards with beautiful words of love, written by my mom, on each one.
I could go on, and on, and on, and on.......

But I won't.

Like the ocean and a shooting star, my mom just is.
She is giving, and loving, and compassionate.
She is everything I hope to be as a person.
She is the embodiment of the parent I hope to be one day.

She is my mom.

And as for me, I am honored to call myself Shelli's son.