I’ve always been able to see my mother as an individual separate from being just my mom or my dad’s wife. I’ve seen all sides of her; the girl with a doll house; the dutiful daughter; the devoted wife; the weekend warrior; the loving mom; the loyal friend; the fashionista hipster that everyone wants to be around. Another thing I’ve bragged about how cool my parents are hipper than me. And all her groupies from Nordstrom proved it… girls my age.

Growing up everyone has told me how I look just like my father and that we were so alike and recently people say that I look like my aunt Happy. I never could see how I looked like anyone but me…then one day I recognized someone in a photo of me, it was unmistakably my mother. But then I realized there was more than just a physical resemblance. There were the gifts she’s praised me for time and again but never realized they were from her.