My First Mother's Day

My very first mother's day celebration is a bittersweet event. On the one hand, it is a happy occasion now that I have Jamie with me and I can stare into her beautiful baby eyes. On the other hand, it is also somewhat sad because, last night, my own mom left for Manila.

Rather than focus on my own experience of being a mom (which is all of 37 days and counting), I'd rather spend this post and talk about my own mom. After all, I owe her so much and I want her to know how special she is to me.

My mom has always been the ideal mother. When we were growing up, she was the quintessential homemaker who believed the family should eat a home-cooked dinner together every night. She baked cookies and was active in parent teacher activities in all of our schools. She welcomed all of our family and friends into our home (we had dinner guests almost every night!). She held the family together by making sure she was a loving wife and a doting mother. Many times, we were teased by our friends for having the perfect "Brady Bunch" family - and largely it was because of my mom. I will forever be grateful to my mom for giving us such a happy and well-balanced childhood.

Fast forward to today, I am now 36 years old and despite of my age I still rely on my mom for so many things. I've lived away from home for 10 years but still value my mom's advice, her tips and techniques for keeping a home running in order, her insight on my personal and professional life, and her encouragement whenever I feel down. She has never failed me even though she is so busy taking care of so many things.

Recently, my mom came over to the States to help my sister, Joy, get settled for school. She also came to help me during my last stage of pregnancy and as I started life as a new mom. I can not stress enough how invaluable her presence was for all of us. I am grateful not only because of all the meals she prepared, the housekeeping she did, and the shopping trips she went on for us. (Of course, those are much appreciated too!).

But I am more grateful for her quiet presence in the house. She has helped me retain my sanity especially the first few days after I delivered Jamie. I truly believe she is the main reason I got over the onset of my post-partum depression. Her encouragement helped make me stronger. Her calm manner helped put things in perspective. Her support helped me see that I could manage being a new mom even when I thought I could not. Her reassurance helped make me lessen my doubts and fears. I owe a lot to my mom for helping me adjust to motherhood. I do not think I could have done it without her. So please allow me to THANK her from the bottom of my heart.

I guess the message I posted on mom's Facebook page today sums it up best:
We all believe we have the best mom in the world. I believe God intended it that way when he chose which moms & which kids go together. Today, I wish Judy L. Lim, the best mom for me, a HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY. Mom, you truly are God's blessing to me. I can't tell you enough how grateful I am for all that you do & how much you mean to me. If I could be half as good a mom as you are, Jamie would be so lucky! I LOVE YOU SO VERY MUCH.