????

Although my mom will probably never read this I feel I want to write it anyway because my mom is really an inspiration to me. She has brought me up with compassion, patience, and kindness, and she has done a lot of this through leading by example, showing me the right thing to do when i make mistakes, and also allowing me the freedom to make decisions on my own, and teaching me to percivere through tough times. so I would like to share a little but about her life. Growing up she never stayed in one place for long. Her family was constantly moving. She live in long island when she was very little and later moved illinois, then back to long island, then back ot illinois, then to wayne new jersey, a particularly anti semetic region. I mention this because my mom is Jewish and encountered a lot of adversity here. Before she was born her father went away to fight in korean war, and she was born while he was away. When he returned he was scarred but what he had seen and been a part of and became a heavy drinker, making it difficult for him to hold a job. They never had much money. A little later down the road my mom went away to college. It was around this time that her mother came down with cancer. Her parents were divorced at the time and when her mom passed away it ripped thier family apart. Her mother side of the family (including her younger brother kenny that she was looking after) blamed her father for hermothers death. Theyre reasoning being that if they were still together he would have been able to care for her and save her from the cancer. Her dad continued drinking, kenny moved in with relitaves and got into drugs. She was still trying to pay her way through college, and had to switch colleges many times. She ended up living with a crazy man in a trailer for a while until she managed to get out of that. After college she began work as a child advocate and worked her way up. Now she is self employed and is one of the most sought after people in her field. When she met my dad his family was mad at him for marrying a jewish girl. At my dad's mom's funeral they would not stand near us because of this. They stood on the other side of the casket as she was being burried. And through it all never stopped loving her father or standing by him no matter what because she loves him and he is the only father she'll ever have. She never stopped loving kenny even when he would not speak to her and wanted nothing to do with her. Now he's off drugs and owns a golf shop in vermont and he and my mom have made up. She never showed any less love to my fathers side of the family because of the way they treated her just becasuse shes a Jew. I have tried my best to take to heart everything shes taught me just by living her life the way she has. By loving and standing by those who no one else would. By working hard and never losing faith no matter what might stand in her path. By always getting back up and trying again when she made a mistake. And by doing her best to keep a smile on her face through everything. She taught me to always be proud of who I am no matter what people say. For me, I see her as living proof that no matter what you can sucseed and make life better for yourself and others if you give your very best effort. But I think the most important thing she ever taught me was that when people have been blessed in their life it is their responsibility to give back. She has taught me this both vocally and by living it herself through her work.

I <3 my mom