I am my mother's daughter

She's been a source of anger and pain, and the only one to listen and understand some of my tragedies.
She's dealt with more shit, and at a much younger age, than I ever would have thought possible. Her health has never been her strong point, and I have dealt with a lot of it over the years. One of my favorites was having to help her off the couch as she was pregnant with each of my siblings. The worst health related...
She fell, over 800 miles from home, and it subsequently ended her career over a decade ago. She had to return home, and I had to care for her. I was the one to force her to do her stretches, walk outside, and sometimes eat because the depression was too much.  I used the same tactics she used on me as I was growing up. There was the standard 'Hands on the Hips' maneuver, the 'Just Wait until your husband hears about what you've done' threats, and the calm moments of just holding her as the tears flowed. More recently, I'm her 'substitute cuddle buddy' when she's not feeling good and dad is away at work.
With a lot of the horror stories of my past, she quite literally has gone through them in her own past. The problems I had in a certain aspect of my life, I have unknowingly followed in her footsteps. So when the last great drama over a year ago occurred, she just wrapped her arms around me and whispered, "I know it hurts, but it will heal".
She taught me how to garden, run finances, and to let hurtful remarks roll of my back. She showed me how to braid hair and bread, how to care for an infant, knit and cut coupons. She's lead by example that sometimes the best thing out there is just within your reach.
My father delights in the fact that all his daughters wake up the same way as his wife, along with other shared mannerisms. We all have the slightly cocked, hands on the hips stance when aggitated. We all, thankfully, can cook better than her. We all have her ability to see past what is in front of us, and see what it could be.
I've seen her at her worst, and been her worst enemy.  Though at times we may still be at war, I cannot deny that I am lot like her.  I can stand up to someone who's only goal is to cut me down, and laugh.  I can eventually let go of pain so great it would crush most people. Like her, I squirrel away a bit of money and forget about it, only to find it months later when I need it.  Other aspects, I have yet to see if we are the same.
But for now, I will relish in that I have managed to inherit most of her amazing qualities, and tempered a few of the not-so-good ones we share.
Happy Mother's Day.