Yeah Here Come The Rooster, Yeah

When I first moved here at the tender age of eight, my mother did her best to secure a home loan on a house in a subdivision on the west side of town. When we moved into the house, the back yard was essentially a cow pasture. She chose a house on the corner of the street so that we'd have a tiny front lawn and a huge back yard. The front was definitely a lawn, with transplanted sod from my neighbor's perfectly manicured grass.

She worked hand over foot for various boutiques and stores until deciding to apply for a loan to go to nursing school. Becoming a nurse was her lifelong dream, and finally she was going to get her LPN degree from the community college a couple towns away. At 39 years old, she wasn't exactly the youngest student. I remember the day she found out that she'd passed the state boards to be licensed as a registered nurse, or RN. We were at a family reunion somewhere in Kentucky. My sister and I were just getting to bed, and amidst all the clamor and rifling between my uncles and cousins, she just started screaming. I thought there might have been a snake in the cabin. It didn't take long before her screams became more coherent and we all clearly heard her say, "I passed! Oh, thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Father!"

Tonight, she'll be walking up a stage to receive the most prestigious honor for a Nurse in my area's 11 hospitals. The Nurse of the Year award.

With my brother and sister both several states away, I'm the only person who lives close enough to attend and cheer for her. But I'm not just cheering for her as a nurse. I'm cheering for her as a mother. I'm cheering for her amazing ability to balance classes to get her RN while working as an LPN, and keeping our bellies full and toes warm for all those years.

Last night was a rough night for me, but I'm going to put venting about it on hold for now. All I can think about is how proud I am of my mom. And what better gift to receive with Mother's Day just around the corner? My buttons are busting. God, I'm so happy.