mother mother

Around midnight the lead singer stood under the spotlight and wished a happy Mother's Day to the crowd of young bodies.

The crowd cheered back, lifted their drinks, passed their joints, and made a public toast to Mother's Day with the band Mother Mother in the Commodore Ballroom.

Floating on several glasses of wine I cheered loudly for the most important woman in my life.

My mother and I are in similar stages right now. Forget the age gap, we are both in stages of transition, worried about how to get the most out of the rest of our lives.

She stresses over trying to sell the house and I stress over my career. We both know we have to be patient to get what we want. The right family will eventually walk into our house and see its true value, and the right job will come my way when I'm ready for it.

We calm each other, confide in each other, and I thank her for being honest about her emotions. My mother has taught me that it is okay to cry, to question yourself and to want the most out of life.

She has taught me the beauty of adventures, travel and education. Without her I would have never had it in me to move to Northern Ireland, her strong will making my dream a reality. Without her I would have never had the courage to move to Paris and take a year off of school, but my mother always taught me never to let my schooling get in the way of my real education. At a young age I learnt that you take away the most from life by living it to the fullest.

And while I'm 22 and she is sexy at 60, our hearts are in the same place, young and full. I watch her in amazement, working in the garden, dancing in the kitchen, groaning over a delicious dinner, taking off at night to go catch a live band with her best friend, and wonder if I will ever be as young and radiant at any age. I often tell my friends that my mom is much cooler and more fun than I am.

While we may stress and cry and groan at times, we know how to get the most out of life and we will continue to do so. My sweet mother mother, I want to continue this adventure with you. Since I could walk I've been trotting along beside you. I've followed you through foreign cities, shared pasta with you in Italy, broken through crème brulée with you in Paris, listened to live Irish music in Belfast with you, have taken ferries with you in Greece and woken up to new islands, have stood stranded by a broken down car with you on our way to Vermont, and have grown with you all along the way.

I am so lucky to have been born yours. You are an amazing mother, but also the best teacher, friend and travel companion I could ever hope for.