My hero, my mom

On this Mother's Day, I appreciate all all women who make the world a better place in their roles as mothers, whether biological, adopted or otherwise.
 For my mom this year, it's a been a real struggle, nearly dying from pulmonary embolisms (blood clots in her lungs) and struggling to regain strength, physical and otherwise, to keep moving forward. Earlier this year, I sat in the room with in her Vicksburg hospital room telling me that she couldn't move her legs. Moving to a hospital in Yazoo City, I remember the joy of seeing her lying in a hospital bed slightly moving her legs. Weeks later, she could raise herself up using a bar posted above her bed.

To honor mothers who are heroes on Mother's Day,  Clarion Ledger (Jackson, Miss.) reporter Kathleen Baydala wrote a piece about mothers who are heroes, which included my mom. Check it out here. Also, the photo to the right was taken by Clarion Ledger photographer Rick Guy.

As I get ready to drive to Yazoo City to spend time with Mama and Granny on Mother's Day, I think about how special mothers are in this world. Even if I didn't always agree with my mom growing up, I've seen through the years what a special person she is, how much fight she has inside her. Often when things get really tough for me, I think about my mom finding strength to walk again and find strength to keep going. Even when she doesn't always know it, she inspires me everyday, not just Mother's Day.