You didn't ask for this piece of my heart, but I'm giving it to you anyway.
When I was 5, she told me to always love life.
She told me this after a few kindergarten accidents: when I cried the whole day because I missed her, when I matched my best friend in hideous purple picnic table print dresses, and even when my backpack was full of ants at school because we forgot to get my lunch out.
When I was 8, she told me to be proud of who I am.
I was getting teased about always reading or writing and getting called a nerd, and when I started my career in theatre and I didn't get a part I wanted - the lead - and she held me while I cried and told me, "This doesn't define you."
When I was 10 and 12, she taught me strength.
When I turned 10 we lost my grandmother. They had had a connection like no other, but through this, she showed me a beautiful shade of strength. When I was 12 she made the decision to become sober, and I'm proud to say it's been seven years since she made that choice, and I couldn't be more proud of her.
When I was fifteen, she told me, "Love yourself."
I realized I worried more than most kids was in middle school, and I came to find out that I had an anxiety disorder when I was 15. She told me it did not define me, and though she and my dad were separated, they came together then to show their love for me and helped me love myself.
When I was 16, she told me that pain demands to be felt.
I had just had my second heartbreak, and as I sat there with her she looked at me and said, “Cry. Cry it all out, because tomorrow is a new day and God has big plans for you." Every time something happened during high school, whether it was a fight with a friend, a bad test grade, or I just was having a bad day, I'd crawl into her bed and cry, or I’d just lay my head in her lap. There is absolutely nothing like her comfort.
When I was 18, she told me, "I have cancer."
Unexpected. Unbelievable. Unexplainable. My mind was completely torn to pieces and my heart was shattered. Three words completely changed my life.
My momma was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer at the end of my senior year. She had the Whipple procedure done on May 17, three days before my graduation. This surgery is one of the hardest procedures, and it has so many complications - and it felt like she had every single one of them. We were in and out of hospitals almost every week. My best friend and I practically lived in the ICU for a month and a half. But she had a daughter getting married, another daughter that just started college and a son who was everything that a grown man should be, and that kept her going. My momma? More like my hero. You don't meet someone like her every day, and that's why I wanted to share a piece of my heart with the Internet.
"Mary Alice has taught me to always have a smile on my face, no matter what I might be feeling on the inside. She's one of the strongest people I have ever met, and she never fails to be uplifting or to put others before herself." - Mary Clair Kelly
"The time my parents told me they were selling my house and I was so upset about it but I came over your house and it was me you and Mary Clair and you're mom definitely made me feel better cause she said I could just live with y'all :)" - Maggie Houin
"I know ur mom always welcomed people into her home and I love the way I could just walk into yalls house and she would say like 'hey girl' or 'hey baby'" - Anna Claire Yarber
"She created a wonderful human that is like her in every way: kind, strong, funny and loving.” - Callie Wells
“she's always treated me like her own daughter and made me feel welcome no matter what the situation. And going to the hospital and her asking to see us made me feel even more like family. That's just the way she is, she treats everyone she comes into contact with like family--but that little bit of sass that she does have she uses to crack a joke even in the worst situations. she taught me how important it is to really show kindness no matter who you meet or what kind of day you're having. Just seeing how many birthday cards/get well soon cards she got shows how she has truly made an impact on practically everyone she meets” - Sarah Jordan Watkins
If you think it's just me who sees the light in my mom, you've got it all wrong.
Just recently my mom got declined disability for work. Her marathon wasn't one she signed up for. The bills are piling up and we're trying to find a way to reduce her stress. Below is the link for her gofundme. No one is pressured to give but if you feel the need to the opportunity is given. We ask for your prayers and thoughts as my mom fights this battle! No one fights alone.
