Personal Childhood Web- Mama

My mother is by far the most influential and important person in my life. To nurture is in her blood and soul, she does it effortlessly. As a natural care taker, having my brother and myself to raise wasnt' enough for her. She worked as a foster parent for children with special needs. We had many children stay with us throughout the years who had many different disabilities including deafness, cerebral palsy, and Down syndrome. Through her work, she instilled in me an acceptance for disabled people, teaching me that their individual needs and thoughts are as important as anyone else's. No matter who else she was caring for, she always made time for me. As a past hippie, she ingrained in me a respect for nature. We were constantly going on hikes, playing outside, or going to parks. To this day she tells me that she "loves me more than the world". She also tells me that I make her day when I call her and say "Mama". Even though she and my father were only married for six months, she has never shown me any negative feelings towards him. She remarried to my step-father when I was two saying that she fell in love with him when she saw how well he interacted with me. Her name is Lisa, and she is a person who I adore, cherish, and hope to always honor. Here she is giving me a whipped cream pie for my first birthday in 1984.