For Mother’s Day, we asked readers to tell us what makes their moms special. Here’s what they had to say.
A simple lesson that I learned from Mom
My mom, I-Tuan Wang, emigrated from Taiwan in 1973. This was a big move to a new country where she knew no one besides my dad, but she got a job at an architecture firm as a draftsperson, and was the only woman in the department. I remember cooking with her. She’d always give us the very best pieces. When she cut apples, she’d eat the core and tell us she likes that bit. With chicken drumsticks, she’d eat the little bits near the bone after cutting off the best pieces for us. Now that I am a mom, I’m the same way with my daughter. But when my mom eats with me, I serve her first and give her the best pieces too.
– Connie Wang
She taught me that each day is a gift
What I love about my mom, Mary Holland, is that she never sweats the small stuff. She lives with a calming big picture about life and has given me the freedom to look beyond the small stresses of life, too. She’s taught me that each day is a gift. To say she is kind doesn’t begin to describe her. She never misses an opportunity to talk to store workers or neighbors or anyone. Every day she walks, using a walker, with a friend who has lived down the street all these years. This Mother’s Day, I want to tell her that if I am half the mom that she is to me, I will have done a great job.
– Crystal Bakker
Mom was such a beloved teacher, they named a street after her
In the library at Vista Verde K-8 school are murals painted to honor my mom, Rosa Lee Drew. They reflect her love of teaching, reading, nature and her love for her diverse students and families. She lives on through her children, family, friends, colleagues and students. She was one of the founding staff members at Vista Verde. She valued reading and literacy. If the school library didn’t have the book a colleague needed, they would ask my mom. Before she passed away in 2004, the city named a street after her – Rosa Drew Lane. It wraps around the site of the original Vista Verde School like her arms wrapped around the school where she taught for over 30 years.
– Heather Drew Phillips
‘I am the woman I am today because of you.’
My mom, Beverly Kirkpatrick, is a painter, a bowler, a friend, a great-grandmother and an inspiration. She also loves to fish. At almost 83, she really enjoys camping and goes as often as she can in her big truck and camper. And she loves to keep photo albums showcasing her family’s life, adventures and memories. She met my dad on a blind date. Six weeks later, they eloped and were together every day until he passed away in 2005. My mom was unable to bear children, so they adopted four children – me and my three siblings. This Mother’s Day, I’d like to tell her: “I am the woman and mother I am today because of you. I love you, Mom.”
– Leanne Kirkpatrick Baker
