Ashley Lanham (May 22, 2008)

In the span of 18 years, my mother and I have had a roller coaster relationship with all the ups, down, and everything in-between. Even at the lowest points of my mother’s relationship and mine, I learned some important lessons that helped to shape the strong and independent young woman I am today. These lessons were not the easiest to learn and certainly not always of the enjoyable kind, but always gave me a sense of empowerment in myself when I successfully mastered them.

Out of a hectic lifestyle and surrounding chaos, my mother taught me how to come through strong and conquer by inversely showing me the way to mend the ripped seams in the patchwork quilt of life. As life started to take a turn downward, the flapping tatters of what once was, provoked me to take the initiative to fix them. I knew it would never be the same as before (for nothing can ever be the same) but stronger than ever for the thread was fashioned from the strength I found within from the example my mother gave me. Her example led me to be strong and to be independent. The air of empowerment surrounding me, only qualified myself to her as ready to receive her next lesson; the knowledge of choice.

No matter what sudden turns or steep drops I face, there is always a choice of what track to choose. There is no concrete path, only the effortless fluid movement from one path to another. My mother’s choice to display what may be considered right, wrong, correct, or incorrect, helped me to discover my power to take the best track for my self-happiness. I am the only one who knows what works best for me, so now having retained the knowledge to decide in full confidence for myself only solidifies the great magnitude of my mother’s teachings.

Whether or not my mother realizes the lessons she taught me, they are truly influencing. They have shaped the way I think and the way I see the world around me. Without them, the possibility of my life still be ripped, torn, and tattered without the thread or the will to mend it would be much greater. Even though the twisting crooked choice may seem to be the only one, the knowledge of my empowerment gave me the strength to overcome any obstacle I face.