This past August we took my mom on her dream trip and captured the whole experience on our new Panasonic GH5, Mavic Pro and Go Pro Hero 5.
Someone once asked me who my role models were. I told them, one of them is definitely my mother. They told me I should “look for better role models, individuals in leadership who had lots of my money and success.” It was then I realized, they needed better role models. Growing up, I genuinely felt bad for other children because they didn’t have a mother like mine. Sometimes I even felt guilty lol. My mother, with so little, went above and beyond for my brother and me. She showed me what sacrifice looks like, self-discipline, orderliness, and love. She constantly gave of herself to see my brother and I succeed and have the best lives possible. As a single mom, she supported us through school, college, heartbreak, and the growing pains of life. We were never without a warm plate of fresh food (YES, no leftovers, and all fresh ingredients almost every night) and we were never without anything we needed. She worked hard and long hours. She had given me so much. So, I constantly dreamt of so many ways I could surprise her and give back to her. One of my longtime wishes was to fulfill her lifelong dream of going to Italy. One year, in my teens, for her birthday I bought her travel books for Italy. I was so excited to give her these books and tell her one day we will go! I felt terrible afterward because I realized, I just gave her a bunch of books to a place she always dreamt of seeing, but in reality, it looked like it would never be possible. So, she shoved them on the shelf and they collected dust for about a decade. A decade. SMH. But I promised her. Last Christmas, by the grace of God, and with the loving support of my amazing husband, we were able to surprise my mom with tickets to Italy. And not just Italy. While we were in Italy we would also fly out to Santorini to celebrate her birthday! We were so freakin thrilled and ecstatic. My mom definitely had culture shock at first (she was not a fan of Napoli lol) but for two weeks we wandered through two countries and 14 cities. She had a blast. As fantastic as this trip was, it was still but a small token of appreciation for all that my mother has done for us. Thank you, mama, for all that you have done, are doing and will continue to do. I love you deeply.
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