My Mother's Daughter

It's perplexing to me that parents are given one day out of three hundred and sixty five to (formally) be recognized & doted on.   Maybe my experience with my parents has been abnormal- but one "Mother's Day" & one "Father's Day" a year doesn't even touch what my parents deserve for the job they've done as my parents.  I know, I know- I've heard it from both Glen & Amy:

They don't want any gifts - there's just really nothing they need, they say. 

They don't expect or want anyone to go to any trouble for them. 

They haven't done what they've done as parents in hopes of one day being recognized for it.  

However, it just so happens that my own parents are the biggest reason that my glass is half full.   Given that Mother's Day was earlier this month, I'm dedicating a blog post to my wonderful Mamma, because I have a few things I'd like to say about her.  (And yes, please rest assured, my dad's turn will come next month.)  :)

As an adult, I've reached that milestone I was warned about- the one where I admit, out loud, that "My Mom Was Right."  About... basically everything.  As it turns out, my mom really did know what she was talking about all those years.  I admire immensely her courage & strength- her committment to enforce rules & expectations, to hold me accountable for my behavior & decisions, to being my parent, not a friend, as I was growing up.  Though I didn't see it at the time, I can say now that it was the best thing she could have done for me.  Now, as an adult, my mom is one of my best friends.  I know the happiness & success, the "glass half full" life I enjoy now as an adult is a result of the the values & morals that she instilled in & worked hard to show me as I was growing up. 

From the time our family started, 29 years ago- and even before that, with her own siblings, Amy Koch has shown us what it means to work tirelessly, to nurture, to be thoughtful, to go above & beyond for people, to celebrate even the smallest of milestones.  She puts absolutely everyone before herself, and makes everyone feel like they are someone.  My mom inspires me every day to work hard, to find the good in other people & make a difference in the things I say & do- all things I've seen & learned from her.  She lives her faith day in & day out, and challenges me to grown in mine, which is an invaluable gift.

Many of my favorite childhood memories stem from my mom's thoughtfulness.  I remember waking up every year on my birthday, and having balloons hanging from the light in our dining room, & birthday cards & fresh peonies from her garden in a vase on the table.  We were never at a loss for games to play or things to wear on our family vacations, because Amy Koch would pack our suitcases for a week as if we'd be gone for a month.  She was a "room mom" in grade school- always helping with our parties & field trips.  Mom would surprise us before high school dances with beautiful jewelry she'd bought to match our dresses.  During college, she would send care packages with "necessities"- epic snacks, nail polish, a new shirt, homemade cookies, etc.  My roommates looked forward to getting the mail just as much as I did, and always comented on how lucky I was to have such a thoughtful mom.  Mom holds the reputation of chief meteoroligist- following the weather for the areas in which we live & texting/emailing us to make sure we know the cold front is coming & reminding us to grab a jacket before we leave the house.  When we come home for a weekend on the farm, she has homemade meals prepared & clean sheets on our beds.  She's never too busy to email a recipe I'm looking for, or to answer questions about anything domestic that I can't seem to figure out.  To this day, she's the last one to go to bed at home- not resting until the kitchen is clean, the laundry is done- no matter how long of a day she's had.   

Last year, the card I gave her for Mother's Day had a message inside it that perfectly described the impact she has had on me:

“My Mother’s Daughter: I am all of the experiences we’ve shared, and each of the things I’ve done on my own.  I am the stories we’ve read in books, and the ones written in my heart.  I am the favorite recipes on index cards, spotted & torn, and the old photographs in my family albums.  I am the traditions passed down through the years and the new ones picked up along the way.  I am my mother’s daughter, different from her, and yet the same, and I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather be."

My mamma & me- hiking in Muir Woods
on our trip to northern CA in 2009.



 One of the highlights of being home together as a family is having a huge, homemade family dinner.  Over the years, mom has learned to keep the leaf in the table-- we can never have enough room... just the way we like it.

One of mom's favorite traditions for our family is the infamous birthday hat.
She always makes us wear this when we celebrate our birthdays. 
The year she & dad turned 50- we returned the favor.  :)

With her (grown up) girls before Jen's wedding.
Mom was the most stunning mother of the bride I've ever seen.

It doesn't happen often- but every now & again,
we get them to kick their feet up & relax. 

It's impossible to put into words just how much my mom means to me, all the things I've learned from her, and all the ways she's shaped my life.  I'm grateful for her every day of my life, and I can only hope to inspire & impact my children the way she has me.