Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Karen Angelina

That is what my dad calls my mom. He's right. She IS an angel, the most selfless, nurturing human being I've ever known. She has a heart of gold, an exteme amount of patience and the ability to soothe and calm like no one else. My mom has always taken her "motherhood" role very seriously. She went without new clothes and accessories and home improvements she wanted (and well deserved) for years as she dedicated herself to myself and brother (Eric). She worked out a way to make sure I could play volleyball, take weekly piano lessons and have only "good" tennis shoes for my little growing feet, all while she mixed and matched the same 3 outfits and 2 pairs of shoes for months at a time. She was up for nights on end as I lay awake coughing (an awful ailment I had for years), yet no complaints were made and her only concern was to make me as comfortable as possible. She would even make the horrible face with me as I swallowed that awful cough syrup recommended by my pediatrician and would have so many pillows stacked up in bed that I would be sitting upright (in hopes that it would ease that horrible cough). She has provided endless love and support, despite of the mistakes I've made along the way. She has always encouraged me to be the best that I can be and to never let fear get in the way of shooting for the stars. I am strong and persistent thanks to Karen Anne Danner.

In addition to being an incredible mother, she is an amazing pianist. She can sightread any piece of music placed in front of her and has awed many over the years with this ability. One of my favorite summers included the year that we were both working on our master's degrees and we stayed in my 1 bedroom apartment at Illinois State University. I think the summer consisted of studying and laughing. We were both enrolled in statistics, my course geared toward psychology, hers toward music. She would read aloud an excerpt from her notes that would make absolutely NO sense and we would roll in laughter as we tried to understand what seemed like a foreign language. My mother's laugh......I smile just thinking about it. Her laughter is contagious and she can find the humor in the worst of situations. Once she starts laughing....beware! It is common to lose control of most bodily functions. There have been countless times I've heard her laughing and before I know it, I am laughing hysterically too without any idea why. I know you all know what I'm talking about. Once, when I was in high school, we stood in line at "Subway" trying to decide what type of sandwich we wanted. We were greeted by an employee who did not speak very good English, and he asked us, "why or wee?" We both stared blankly back at him and he again asked, "why or wee?" I dared not look over at my her because it would all be over. It was too late...we laughed like crazy people the whole way home and for the rest of the evening, simply because it sounded hysterically funny to us when we were asked with an accent if we preferred "white or wheat" bread. Another time my cousin Courtney called after a family gathering (while I was living in St. Louis) in an attempt to tell me about a funny encounter with my mom. To this day I still have no idea what actually happened, except that "McDonald's" was involved. Courtney laughed so hard throughout the conversation that I couldn't understand what she was telling me. Of course, I, too, rolled in laughter without having any idea why. One other time...she and my grandma were road tripping down to visit me in St. Louis and they got lost. We got disconnected on cell phones and somehow their conversation ended up on my voicemail. I saved that message and listened to it countless times, because all I could hear was those two laughing insanely about missing a turn.

My mom has said something along these lines more times than I can count.....people will not remember what you said to them, but rather the way you made them feel. She strives to bring out the best in everyone, while giving a little extra to those in need. As a teacher she has touched many lives. The world is a better place because of my mother, Karen Angelina.

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