Today would be my parents 41st wedding anniversary. I always have a feeling I'm the only person who marks this milestone. I am still very aware of my first wedding anniversary when it passes but I can imagine after being out of a relationship for 35 years that those details would fade away. I am very aware of the date because without it, I wouldn't be here.
There is an obvious gratefulness I feel for my parents for my very being. My parents were only together for about 6 years - 4 of which I shared with them. They hadn't known each other very long when they married which is an easy thing to point to when figuring out the end of their marriage. But that isn't the point here. I am grateful for my parents marriage and I am grateful that they are my parents.
For as long as I can remember, my mom has always been there. ALWAYS. She taught me what it meant to be loved totally and completely. While I am pretty sure my mom would quickly tell you I am her most favourite person in the world, she wasn't one of those moms who thought I did absolutely no wrong. I may have been the perfect daughter for her, she never let me think I was perfect. And as strange as it may sound, I am very grateful for that. She kept me in check about my strengths and weaknesses and no matter what was my biggest champion. From early on in my life it was just the 2 of us. My aunt was there for a while but in real terms it was just the 2 of us. Put very simply, my mom rocks.
My dad and I had a much more difficult relationship. I didn't live with him from the age of 4 on - he went back to school when I was a kid and as a result was absent for a good deal of my life and my experiences. We have had a lot of ups and downs in our time together but I'd say we've been on the up swing for a good while now. I get a lot of my personality from my dad and I look just like him - my love of politics? Purely my dad. It took us a long time to learn how to be a good father/daughter pair and I'm really grateful that we finally got there.
Most of us are shaped most deeply by our parents so I celebrate the people who brought me into this world and made me the person I am today.
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