My Hero

“Christina Joy Borowiec! You get yourself down here this minute, young lady!” screeched my mom one afternoon. I was in trouble for forgetting to make my bed. Oops. At the time I could never understand why my mom made big deals out of trivial things. I mean, it is just a bed that later you have to sleep in again so what is the point of making it? I did not realize that in every situation whether it be making your bed or having family time, my mom was lovingly preparing her children with qualities we need later on in life. Looking back now, I realize what a hero my mom truly was.

My mom has had eleven children. Some of us are in college but the younger siblings still live at home. She has always put us first. She home schooled the majority of us until middle school. I remember going on trips to the park and the zoo. My mom would prepare a picnic with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chips, cookies, and juice. We would get to pet the goats and rabbits in the petting zoo and play on the playgrounds they always had. Later on when my parents divorced, my mom had to work two jobs to support us. I don’t know how she found time to spend with us but she did. We would have family nights every Friday night. She would buy ice-cream and we would all gather around and watch a Disney movie.

As I made my way into high school, I started running. My mom was always my biggest supporter. She and my siblings would surprise me with good luck cards and goody bags before my races. I started having my friends over on weekends. My mom would have a table full of chips and salsa, brownies, ribbon Jell-O, homemade cookies, and soda for us. She would spend her time in the kitchen just for my friends and me. During my first college years, my mom would do my wash for me. I started working two jobs and would come home late at night. In the refrigerator, there would be a plate of food with a note that said,” Hope you had a good day. I love you.”

What makes my mom so special is that she willingly gives and blesses everyone around her. She makes it her goal to serve others and not herself. She would surprise people with homemade meals. She would mow our pregnant neighbor’s yard. We would all make the elderly in nursing homes cards and puzzles for their walls. My mom spent more of her time thinking about others then she did on herself. I don’t even live close to her but I find myself calling her if I ever need advice. She is the first one to give a listening ear and not to judge. My mom has impacted my life in such a way that I hope one day I can strive to be the kind of person she is. But I am only one person. If she has blessed me so much I can only imagine what she has done for others.