oh, mother!

Hello all you readers' out there! 

I want to dedicate this post to a very special person in my life and seeing as today (despite me not actually being there) is Mother's Day in the UK, it seemed like the perfect time to do so. Now I know what some of you may be thinking..."oh but the date of Mother's day is different depending on what country you're from" bla bla bla but this, in my opinion, does not have any less of an effect on the purpose of this post this afternoon - it's not hard to appreciate the love and respect many people have for their mother who after all, is one of the most important people in our lives.

Mother's are important for countless reasons, they not only lay the foundations for us to build upon throughout our lives, but they prepare us to fly from the nest and explore the joy of what life truly has to offer.

It's often said that "when the mother starts to shatter, then everything just comes undone" and if you ask me, this is nothing less than true. Although many of us don't think of it like this (and it's something i'm only just beginning to realise), but every minute, of every hour, of every day, our mother's are worrying about us and are constantly trying to keep themselves 'together' to enable us to continue thinking of them as a force to be reckoned with in which nothing can prove too much for them to handle. Mum, you have always been there for me - be it with advice, a shoulder to cry on, someone to keep me company or just to listen to some of those insignificant rants and moans - which let's be honest, with me is more often than not!

We've done okay you and me (and dad, bless him being outnumbered by us! I think he deserves some sort of medal!) over the past twenty years haven't we? Yes, I'd say we've been bobbing along quite nicely. Of course, like anything else, we've had our ups and downs, our good days and bad days and those fall outs in which we spend the day not speaking in a huffy state of silence - granted they were mostly down to me - but all in all I think we're doing just fine and dandy. 

You are, without question, one of the funniest people I know. You're hilarious, you have such an incredible spirit, sense of humour and personality. Oh, and don't even get me started on that laugh of yours - so damn infectious! I can't wait to have you out here with me for the long weekend in April, if it's anything like normal, it will be laughter 24-7! I honestly can't wait. 

I don't think i've ever known a person to be as selfless as you, mum. You put others before yourself in a way I just didn't think was possible, you've been there to help me through some of the toughest decision making processes in my life as well as prove an absolute rock through stressful and uneasy times. 

I wouldn't be the person I am now if it wasn't for you, mum. You taught me to be kind and loving, you showed me how to be strong and take pride in myself. You told me to stand up for what I believe in and that I shouldn't be ashamed of who I am - if I love boys, girls, both or in-between and perhaps most importantly, you are still teaching me how to be the best person I can possibly be. You're a firm believer in not letting anyone take advantage of you, and are always on the hunt to make sure that no one does the same to your 'little boy', I love that about you. When I was younger (and much, much more stupid) I used to scream "I HATE YOU" when you weren't letting me act on my stupidity, I never meant any of that of course, but now I can't even imagine saying those words to you. It genuinely hurts to imagine myself saying such things. You're my best friend, mum. If I didn't have you in my life I'd seriously be missing half of myself - that's a pretty scary thought if you ask me. 

You've supported every choice I've ever made (well that's not entirely true - you didn't support my horrific emo/punk rocker/gothic-style phase back in the day did you?) even if you're scared. I love that you trust me to do the right thing if I know within myself that it's best for me, and that i'll always make a place in my heart for coming home, no matter how far apart oceans and time finds us. When I left for Stockholm it was far from easy saying goodbye to you at the airport, and I know that it wasn't easy for you either, but I just want to say thank you for trusting me to make the move and I hope you're now seeing all the benefits it seems to be bringing! 

Thank you mum for believing in me, every step I take towards 'growing up' you're there cheering me on as well as helping to keep me on the pathway to success through the good old fashioned 'work hard, play hard' mentality! Without your support I wouldn't be able to do half the things I've done. I hope you know that I'll always be there to support you as well. There honestly isn't a thing in this whole world that I don't think you could do twice as well as anyone else - why do you think I have a 'keep calm, mum knows best' poster in my room at home?! You're an absolute rockstar in my eyes, mum!  

If I had to take away one thing from your countless words of wisdom I think it would be this - you've always taught me that it's okay to make mistakes and that they're, as you would say 'par for the course'. Because of you i've realised that you have to go out and get what you want from life because no one's gonna give it to you. If things work in my favour and I achieve what I want, be gracious, stretch back a hand and help those who helped you get to where you want to be and when things don't work out for me, or things don't go to plan as I hoped, well, I guess you've taught me that I just need to fight harder next time! 

I love you mum no matter what we go through because at the end of the day, I know you'll ALWAYS be there. You'll always be there, and so will I. 

Mum, I love you so much. 

This is for you.

L xo