The Mothers In My Life

Me and my mom, a few years ago.

My mom (Michelle Miller) is basically a queen in terms of motherhood.  I'm just saying: her (and my dad) somehow raised nine kids who are now all very intelligent and awesome people.

This French Canadian woman birthed five girls and four boys out of her loins.  I calculated the total time she was pregnant in her life and it adds up to almost seven years.  I could never be pro-choice, because if my mother considered convenience a virtue, I wouldn't have been born. If she had stopped at the average family size, three to five kids, I wouldn't be alive... If she stopped at seven kids, I would not be here on earth.  I am her eighth child.  And then she birthed my little sister.  If she had stopped with me, I wouldn't have had Anne to hang out with all my life.  It would have been one miserably lonely existence without Anne.  Her and I were always together.

Shortly after Anne was born.  (I'm the blonde girl in red)

Before I continue, I need to make this disclaimer:  I'll be posting about my dad later (because it's not father's day yet) so, don't get me wrong, he's an amazing man, and he had a part in all of this.

My mother is one of the most generous, least materialistic people I know.  She will give you the shirt off of her back and the food out of her fridge.  She always made sure we ate healthy meals growing up and kept it interesting, making a variety of ethnic foods: Portuguese soup, French gallettes, Korean ribs, Indian rice, lamb roasts, fried rice and stir frys, many large pots of delicious soups, and salads as often as possible.  Thankfully she taught me many skills in the kitchen (my husband appreciates that!).

Her first language was French.  Now she also speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese.  She has a degree in Christian counseling, and dabbles in real estate.  She also has had many hobbies including floral arrangements, soap-making, lotion-making, and is an expert (more or less) in vitamin supplements.  I have many horrid memories of swallowing piles of vitamins with breakfast, which she always made for me all the way through high school.

My first year away from home I went through two weeks of depression, only eating microwaved mini triscuit pizzas, because I would no longer be eating my mother's cooking.  Then I realized I had lots of skills, and bought my own groceries and cooked delicious meals from then on.  I was thankful for those skills, (and I have to give my sisters credit for teaching me many of those skills as well).

My mother has a tenacious spirit, a jovial demeanor, the goofiest sense of humor, and the most beautiful smile.  It's that Vezina smile that her and all her sisters possess that I love.

She is a woman of Godly devotion.  Though her path has sometimes taken unexpected turns, she always stayed true to what she believed to the best of her ability.  I am learning that beliefs can and should change as we grow and mature in our faith.  And that is what has happened in her life.  

I am thankful for my mother so much and I want to take a moment to honor her for her perseverance.  One child can make a person crazy; the nine of us drove our parents out of their minds, haha.  I am so thankful to have so many siblings.  Each one of them is a blessing in my life.  They are all highly intelligent, caring, and level-headed people, each having overcome major adversity in their lives and have always been examples to me in how to live life.

On that note, I want to say a few things about my big sisters.  Each of them has taken care of me in motherly ways and I am a better person for it.  

Parents, me, Adrian, Patricia, Gregory, Bernadette, Anne, Therese, Matthew, Vincent

Patricia has always been there for me in every way.  I lived with her and her husband Phil for a year when I was fourteen.  Both of them taught me a great deal about respect and trust during that time.  She is such a joy to be around and is one of the sweetest women I know.  Now she is a mother of six amazingly talented kids and is still an example to me.

Therese was my biggest cheerleader in life.  Anne and I used to run to her bed in the mornings when we were little and she would shower us with much needed hugs and words of affirmation and love, calling me sweetheart and Anne cutie.  When I would visit her as a teen, I'd always go home with something from her closet (some items I still have and love). She encouraged me in my art and my education and is now a wonderful mother of one gorgeous boy.

Bernadette cooked many meals for us kids when she was in high school.  I still remember her spaghetti, which is to this day my favorite spaghetti. She is an example to me of sacrificial love.  She truly has a servant's heart.  I remember once she sent me a check for $60 when she knew I needed it, when she was in college and in debt.  She was there for me when my brothers would get the best of me.  And her humor always lightened my seriousness (I was a very serious kid).  I think I cried the hardest when she left for college because I relied on her very much.  She is now a mother of two super cute boys.

I also want to give honor to my new mother-in-law, Sharon Brant, who intentionally took me for a night out at the movies and welcomed me into her family.  That gesture meant the world to me.  She is such a strong, level-headed, sensible, and organized woman.  I aspire to have at least half the organizational skills that she has.  I am amazed at how much she gives to those she loves; how much sacrifice and thoughtfulness goes into her love.  I really miss our talks in the kitchen.  I'm so blessed to have gained such a wonderful new mother in my life.

I also can't wait to get to know Dondi Wise better.  Dustin and I recently met her just before we moved to Minneapolis.  She is the precious woman who gave birth to the love of my life.  What a selfless act to have given up her flesh and blood so he could have a better chance at life.  Yet another reason I will never be pro-choice.  Had she not given up Dustin for adoption, I wouldn't have been blessed to marry such an amazing man.  Thank you, Dondi for all that you went through.  I can't imagine the pain, but I am so grateful.

Finally, I want to give credit to Carolyn Ulrich.  What a spiritual rock she has been to me in my recent years.  She's helped me through so much and brought so much peace to my heart with her unconditional love.  Her perspective has been so valuable to my life.  Her presence in my life has brought so much healing in ways she will never know.  

There are so many more women who have made an impact in my life.  I know God loves me because I have been blessed to have been mothered by some of the best.  Happy Mother's Day.  I hope that this day you truly know how important you are and how loved you are.  Thank you for who you are in my life.  I am so much better for having known you.  I love you!