I Love My Mothers!

I have the most special mother in all of the land.She has filled my life with bushels of happiness. I have always had all sorts of nicknames for her instead of plain, old Mom. When I was a kid, I had a cold and was all stuffed up. I noticed that when I said "Mommy" it sounded like "Bobby" due to my congestion. I loved this and to this day I still refer to her as my "Bobby" or "Bob" at times. In the last few years she has now become my little Mamacita. My heart and mind are full of the love she has always given me. When I was little, she used to put me to bed with "Laura Stories." She would make up these elaborate tales of a little girl named Laura. When I was older she told me that she always felt like she was NOT a good story teller and that these little tales of Laura were nothing special. Several decades later though, these Laura stories are embedded into my memory and conjure up an image of me laying in my bed snuggled with my mommy. My mom talks to me in a special voice when I am sick. I call it "The Sick Voice." To this day, when I am not feeling well, I have to call her up just so she can feel sorry for me and talk to me in her special voice! I don't need anything from her, just her voice saying, "Oh, I'm sorry you don't feel well, Princess. Why don't you take a nap, gargle some saltwater and have some tea with honey?" I immediately feel better. When I was a teenager, I could talk with my mother about almost everything and she would always try to listen and be non-judgmental... which I cannot imagine to be an easy task! She would put aside everything to alter my pants that were always too short, come up with a Halloween costume on a moment's notice and rush me to Farr's for a posterboard the night before a project was due.

Now that I am married, she endures at least 3 calls a week that start with, "I have a cooking question..." She has taught me the importance of clipping coupons, keeping certain ingredients in my cupboards at all times and keeping my colors separate from my whites. She has taught me the importance of reaching out to family and friends and hosting holidays even when the thought of it might exhaust me. She welcomed my husband to our family with open arms and now, actually, even loves my husband more than me! She is compassionate, kind-hearted and honest to a fault. Words don't do you justice, Mom. So what I am trying to say is, "Mamacita, Bob, Babs, Bobby, Mom, I hope one day to have a daughter who loves me as much as I love you!"

When you get married, only if you are lucky, you inherit a second mother. If you are REALLY lucky, then you inherit a mom like Robin Riggins! (Back off, she's mine!) Robin, who I affectionately refer to as, Mama Riggs, has consistently gone out of her way to pull me into her family. When Corey and I were dating, I could never have survived his deployments without her. As a submarine wife, she new EXACTLY what I was going through. She could honestly say, "I understand." and she was the only one who could! It must be hard for a mother to share her only son but Robin is probably the most unselfish woman I know. She is constantly giving and giving until she has nothing more to give. Her heart is inspiring. Her family means the world to her and I have no doubt that she would do anything for any one of us! She passed this on to her son. I see her compassion, strength and selflessness shine through Corey on a daily basis. Robin has a green thumb and grows beautiful gardens. She has come to California twice and helped me to make mine beautiful by buying me plants and helping me plant them! She is funny, has a sick sense of humor that I definitely identify with and has a smile that can light up a room. She gives of herself in ways that most people are to scared to do. She volunteers with Meals on Wheels (even on holidays!) and takes the extra five minutes to chat with each person and make a difference in their day. She has friends scattered across the country through several different moves which is a testament to her unique spirit. I am so blessed to share her with Molly, Corey and Robert. Mama Riggs, I love you and appreciate you and thank you for the greatest gift that you could ever give me- Your Son.