Elaine - the reason I'm alive

Ah , it is Mother's Day - shouldn't it be every day that we honour the influential ladies in our lives? But since we don't , we have the obligatory blogs and flowers . So here's a few things you should know about the goddess that is my mum . My mother grew up in a very abusive and just plain weird family dominated by my loser of a grandfather and bitter-until-he-died grandmother and was the youngest of my grandfather's biokids . My mother got pregnant with my sister on her 16th birthday but still managed to finish high school before she was born . My mum met my dad when she was an apprentice mechanic at Harding Carpets and they got married when she was 18 . My dad has never been Mr. Responsibility but he adopted my sister , and shortly after , my older brother Sean was born who died 8 months before I came into the world . My mother persevered often working 70 hours a week up until a couple of weeks before I was born . My father was one of those so-called "functioning" alcoholics who spent most of his time working or at the bar , in fact , my mum once brought him his Thanksgiving dinner , gravy and all , to his barstool in a paper bag. My mother has never had decent taste in men .


My mum still managed to work her butt off to raise her brood often singly , but sometimes with the assortment of asshole stepdads I've had over the years . She's had nervous breakdowns and divorces and wasn't always the perfect mother and could even be brutal at times , but the difference between her and those dudes is that she got the courage to apologize .

But , after 36 years of it , she still generally doesn't complain , but she never ceases to amaze . I have seen this wonderful woman rewire houses , do brickwork , build intricate furniture , and so much more . At 50 , she could still pack a bundle of shingles up a 60-foot ladder all the while looking like a very attractive 35 . She is iconic in my eyes and I would truly be lost without her .

Thank you Mum .
Love ,
Michelle