Margarita Hour

My mom is the strongest person I have ever met. She is one of those people you meet and you never forget. My entire life growing up my friends and people around me honestly like my mom more than they like me. Which is completely okay with me. She is one of those people who is impossible to replicate. So, during the season of mothers day I want to dedicate my 5th post to my mother Natalya Drake. My mom has never been like other moms, she has never fit into a cookie cutter mold of a traditional housewife/mother. Ever since I was born my mom has persevered to give me the best life she could. I remember when we immigrated to America and I started going to preschool I could tell my mom was not a regular mom. When we first came to America we didn’t have a nice house or nice things but somehow my mom outshined every woman at the carpool line. Her hair was always perfect, her makeup was sharp and her outfits came straight out of a vogue magazine. She is beautiful, anyone with eyes can see that but she has something a lot of people don’t, a sense of self and confidence. My mom has said to me multiple times “everyday I am beautiful but some days I am very beautiful.” When she gets sick I ask her “are you beautiful today or very beautiful” she would say “just beautiful.” When I meet my mothers friends they talk about my mom like she is the blueprint. Something about my mom that is so special is that she never fails, whatever happens she always bounces back. My mom and I are very different and when I was younger I thought my mom was not afraid of anything. She can talk to anyone and she can get whatever she wants. I don’t say this like she is entitled. I mean she can read a situation and know exactly what she needs to do and how hard she needs to work. I was a shy and anxious child. I got scared to raise my hand in class and to talk to new people. My parents were concerned by how anti-social I was. My mom never understood why. She tells me stories about how she was when she was younger. She is fierce. She never was scared to say what everyone was thinking but didn’t want to say. She didn’t get walked all over and she never let anyone walk all over the people she loves. I remember when I was in middle school people would tell me I looked like her or did something like her. I would always tell my mom I wanted to be my own person. It was never about not wanting to be like her, it was wishing I could be. I never understood how my mom could walk in a room and own it and I was just in the shadow. I was more introverted growing up and I would do anything I could to run away from conflict. Recently, I have been locked in on “Euphoria” and everytime Maddy Perez gets on that screen I think this was my mom 20 years ago. Not in a bad way— but to be completely honest in the way she gets. shit. done. Ever since we moved to America my mom got any job she could. She would work long hours and I never once saw her cry or complain about being tired. She made it look easy. She never did it because she just wanted to but because she never wanted me to have to do the same thing. My mom raised me to have the life she was never able to have. In my previous blogs I have talked about how high my standards are for myself, but recently I have been learning with humility that it isn’t about money or about materialistic things, it is about the heart. The drive to pave a life so beautiful and so full of love for your brand new car isn’t the thing you most look forward to at the end of the road. My mom built a life for me that I knew sometimes she wouldn’t be at my games because she’s at work but I knew for sure I could tell her about it when I come home. I could get in her bed and we could laugh at funny videos or we could talk about things that brought tears to our eyes. One of my favorite memories with my mom was when we were in the kitchen and my dad was asleep. I had just gotten back from work and it was late, I don’t remember what we were talking about but I remember us laughing so hard we had to put our hands over our mouths to not wake up dad. I never had siblings growing up and I spent a lot of time alone but I never lacked a best friend. My mom is an inspiration. She is the blueprint. She is extroverted, hard working, beautiful, funny, she is everything I want to be. I want to be my own person but I hope I can at least be 50% of the woman she is. I hope to one day walk into a room the way she does. I know I have talked a lot about how fierce my mom is but the part that makes her perfect is that not only is she fierce she has the biggest heart. My mom goes above and beyond for her friends. I have told her so many times why do you go out of your way to do all of this when they would never do the same for you. She made it known that it was never about what she got in return but it made her happy seeing them happy. She loves making everyone feel special and loved even if it means sitting on the sidelines. She fills her schedule just to fit in those lunches and celebrations for the people she loves. I used to and still don’t like some of her friends because it frustrates me that she doesn’t get the love she deserves. Mom, I know you’re reading this and I want to tell you that your work and your heart have never gone unseen. I know I have not always shown you and I have neglected giving you your flowers when you deserve them. You are the best mama I could have ever asked for. When you say God picked me to come to you, you’re right. I hope that you are my mom and best friend in every lifetime. I love you mama to the moon and back. Happy Mothers Day.