My mother has suffered parental loss, the threat of cancer and what might be one of the hardest things to do, raising two girls. At this stage in her life, my mother is a highly respected woman in the Psychology world, a highly respected woman in the Catholic Church, and a highly respected woman in my family. She's held us together in times of loss and suffering, she's provided things for me that no other person could. Things like moral and emotional support of my music career.
When I told her I wanted to go into music, flute performance especially, she knew that it would be challenging and that I'd be looking for jobs left and right. But she also knew that I was a good player and key figure in the musical world both in my school, state and country, having performed in Europe. Flute is one of the most difficult instruments to be proficient in and master. However, she held me high and let me do what I knew I loved instead of encouraging me to go into a more "stable" field.
Some may say it's easy to choose your mother for a role model, that it's a no-brainer. Not so. Not only does my mother have a professional attitude worth emulating, she has the attitude of a child, too. None of my other friends' mom's are willing to stick their tongue at you while telling you "I told you so!", in jest of course. They're not willing to talk like me either, saying things like "That sucks" and "I can dig it."
I've seen my mother spit milk across our kitchen table and I've seen her dance and