The Best Mom

One early morning in June, my Mom, who looked like she'd just swallowed a watermelon (I've seen the photos), was rushing my father to the car for a reckless drive over the Miami Beach bridge to reach Mercy Hospital in Coconut Grove. She didn't know if I'd be a boy or a girl, but she knew she'd love me despite being beyond surprised to learn I existed. That's right, ladies, don't ever miss a birth control pill!

It's the way she tells my birth story, how after trying to push a few times, the doctor realized my umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck, and she would need an emergency c-section. He pulled out a cigarette and sneaked a few nervous puffs in the corner before my Dad caught him and told him to get it together and deliver me safely. 

She was scared, and when I finally came out, I was yellow and needed a special light. But I was a girl, as she secretly hoped I would be, and we would both leave the hospital perfectly healthy a few days later. 

Through the years, my Mom and I went through it all together. There was the divorce that I was just old enough to understand and the many struggles of a working single mom. Never once did she lay her troubles on my shoulders, never once did she let me go without, never once did she forget to make me feel like the most special girl on the planet. She moved mountains to give me the world, even if it meant calling in a few favors, working extra hours, and being incredibly creative. 

Hispanic mothers never seem to be entirely done raising their children, but when I was fully grown, happy, and stable, she would step back in to nurse me through cancer and major surgery. She slept in crappy hospital fold down by my side, brought me the good coffee from downstairs every morning, and when I was too delirious from the pain meds to advocate for myself, she went full Mama bear on anyone who didn't act like they had my best interest in mind. She held it together in front of me, so I wouldn't fall apart, but she encouraged me to cry when I needed to so that I could heal emotionally. 

To be a Mom is to love and sacrifice. My Mom did so much more than that and continues to do so to this day. She is my best friend, my fiercest protector, and an excellent example of what it means to be a powerful woman. Happy Mother's Day, Mama.