Memorial Day Movie-Thon

So, should I consider this a personal diary and write whatever I want whenever I feel like it, or should I consider that at some point someone else may pop in to read it and thus I should attempt to keep things at least remotely interesting? I don't know. For now I feel like writing. :)

I did end up going out yesterday as promised. I went to Hobby Lobby and bought a few small crafty things that were on sale. I also went to Lowe's and bought some flowers to plant. I spread newspaper out on the floor and sat there with my little glove on, gardening in my living room whilst I watched "Snakehead Terror" on the Sci-Fi channel. If you have not seen Snakehead Terror, you SHOULD! It is a movie about snakehead fish in a small-town lake who have been exposed to large quantities of human growth hormones and thus have grown to be quite large. Snakeheads can walk on land for a few hours at a time, so you get to see these big fish flopping around town growling and biting people. It is AWESOME. The best part of the movie is when they are going through someone's trash to see if they did it and sure enough, they pull out a big jug that says in bold letters: "Human Growth Hormone" right on the big label. Ahhh, classic. :) I'll not tell you who it is so that when you pay to see this fantabulous movie you will be surprised.

There were two different movies I saw that involved giant mutated aligators, but they were both giant and mutated for different reasons and in different places, so it was okay. Neither of them were Lake Placid, which was also a swell flick. Oliver Platt is cool.

OK, so if Snakehead Terror doesn't sound like your thang, I do recommend another movie I saw yesterday called "Something's Gotta Give." I wasn't so sure I would like it; nothing was mutated and no one got eaten in a display of poor special effects, so it had two strikes against it. There really were some parts that had me laughing so hard I almost cried, though, and all-in-all I enjoyed it. I've never seen anyone try to make having your blood pressure checked while getting it on quite so sexy... HAH!

Sometime I will have to tell you about the movie "Frogs," which is so bad that even I cannot watch it twice within six months. But that, my friend, is for another day.

My Mothers by Choice

Mother's Day is tomorrow. I will always fall short on Mother's Day, because I simply do not possess the capability to express its meaning to me. I cannot say enough to express my gratefulness for a woman's love in this life.

The best friend I ever had lived about a half mile from me when I was a little girl. We practically grew up together; if we weren't at my house we were at hers. Our sleepovers lasted entire weeks in the summer. When we finally drove one of our mothers crazy she would drop us off with mom number two and we would star from scratch. Karla and I were like the girlfriends you always see in the movies who are sisters by choice instead of by birth. I remember there was actually an occasion when we tied our arms and legs together and swore we were siamese twins in hopes that somehow it would keep us from being separated when it was time for me to go home.
I will never forget how much a part of the family I was when I was at Karla's house. Her little sister irritated me just as if she were my own. Her older brother tried to set my hair on fire and was known to try to drown me in the pool. Her dad was scary, but I don't think I have ever met a father who wasn't frightening by nature. The best part was that her mom was my mom. She fed me, she scolded me, she hugged me, she praised me. I was too young to realize back then how lucky I was to have a mom-away-from-mom like her to add so much to my life. I didn't even realize until this moment that I miss her almost as much as I miss Karla. Any person in your life who cares for you is a blessing not to be forgotten.

My next adoptive mother was Tiffani's. She was my girlscout troop leader for several years, and I spent a great deal of time at her house too. My family did not celebrate Easter, so for two or three years in a row Tiffani's parents invited me to intrude on their close family celebration. Each year I found a basket hidden with my name on it and I was given a beautiful corsage to wear to church with the family on Sunday morning. When I was in middle school and I started my period, Tiffani's mom was the one my mom called to bring me a change of clothes. I was so embassed and all I wanted to do was cry, but she wrapped me in the biggest hug and made everything okay. It all meant a lot to me back then, but more so now that I can look back and see how much she really did for me.

When I met a stranger at Virginia Beach in 2000 I had no idea I was about to get yet another mom in my life. Neil lived a few states away but one thing led to another and I was on a plane to Maryland. His mother was difficult at first but a very good woman, and I grew to love her. We were at odds about many things in the world but she was there for me when I needed someone. She was supportive, caring, and a great listener. Yet again someone stepped up to love and nurture me when I could not be with my own mother. I lived with her family in Maryland for about six months and I don't know what I would have done without her.

When I first heard that my father was dating again after he and my mom got divorced I was confused about the way I felt. When I met Carol, though, I quickly warmed to the idea of having another woman in my life whom I could look up to and befriend. Dad was with her for a few years, and I enjoyed her company and getting to know her. Seeing her and my dad interact with each other showed me a different side of him that I didn't know existed. I was able to see him as more real than I had before, and softer somehow. Had they stayed together I would have very much liked to bond with her... to go shopping, and spend late nights talking with her and learning from her. It didn't work out that way in the end, which is sad, but the short time I knew her opened my heart to new possibilities.

The love of my real mother does not go without saying. When I was growing up she would have wrestled lions to protect me, and if someone wronged me she didn't have to be asked to stand up for me and save the day. Since my becoming an adult my mom has been indispensable to me. She is the strongest, most stubborn woman I have ever met, and I know I get my strength from her. My mother is the one person in my life who knows me as truly and completely as anyone can. She can see the worst in me today and still be there for me tomorrow. Mom loves me anyway, passionately and unconditionally. She is selfless in her love but stands up for herself and for what is right. Bold and viscious, she is not always the softest in character but if my life had a team she would be my first pick as captain. She is not without her imperfections but she is beautiful inside and out. She is my truest friend and my strongest ally.

People always say that you only get one mother. I believe that is only true to the extent of your heart's capacity to be loved. I have been so lucky in my life to have been taken in and cared for by not just my own wonderful mother but by so many others as well. There is a certain kind of love, tenderness and compassion that only a woman knows how to provide.
Being a mother isn't just about giving birth, it is about being the embodiment of love and the rock of support for all of those that enter your life. Having a baby isn't always a choice you make, but being a mother is. Whether they are your own babies you are nurturing or someone else's, you choose the impact you will have on their lives.
I can't thank my moms enough for taking so much time and effort to help shape me and my future. I am a stronger person, a more compassionate person, a more generous person, and a more loving person because of the women who chose to leave their imprints in my life. I will always take with me the lessons and the love they have taught me and pass them on in as many ways as I can. I pray that I am as successful as they were.