This past week I took a bit of an unexpected trip home to Virginia to be with my family when I found out my Dad was in the hospital experiencing similar symptoms to the major illness that almost took his life in 2020. I flew directly from BVI to VA because I didn’t want to take any chances of not being close by in case things took a bad turn again. I am so thankful that he is already back home and doing really well, they seemed to have caught everything super early this time. I am so grateful to my mom and little sister (who is officially an LPN) who advocated for him in the hospital this time. (Something that wasn’t possible for us when he first got sick in 2020 because of hospital regulations due to covid) 

When I moved to LA I made the decision that I would never let distance or money be a determining factor on whether or not I go home to spend with my family. I decided that if I make this move it will not get in the way of me showing up for my family or being apart of their lives in the capacity I know is important to me. It’s honestly one of my biggest determinations to make great money out here, is to have the financial freedom to fly home and spend time with them often. I am SO close with my parents and they are honestly my two best friends in this world along with my siblings. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize just how lucky that makes me. I think as children we assume everyone loves and is loved by their family the same way we experience it. In my early 20’s and even more so now, I’ve found that the dynamic we have at home is unique and something I count my blessings for every day.

All of that being said, while I was back home in Virginia on this unexpected trip I got a message from someone I went to high school with. She started the message out by saying, “I don’t know if you remember me, and that doesn’t really matter but your mom saved my life when we were in the 10th grade...” I was reading that message just a few feet from my mom on the couch, so I called her over to read it and it brought us both to tears. I read her the rest of the message and of course we both remembered this person. I won’t go into details as to how my mom helped her but it was just one example of the love and acceptance my mom puts out into this world. She is one of the most beautiful examples of unconditional love not only to myself and my siblings but to all of the children she encountered in years of working in my school system.

For Mother’s Day I wanted to share an interview with my mom for everyone who doesn’t know her to get a little more insight on who she is and why she has made such a profound impact on my life. I know it’s not the most glamorous set up but I hope you can enjoy the interview for what it is. It’s a very special video for me that I will truly cherish for the rest of my life and let it be a reminder to myself on how to be a beacon of love and acceptance to everyone I encounter. 

All of that being said, don’t forget that I have a mothers day gift guide from last week. You guys can go check it out here! It’s not too late to get her that perfect gift!