10 years

it's pretty weird when you look at pictures of yourself from 10 years ago.

it's also pretty weird to look at pictures of your mom, grandmother, and uncle from that long ago.

my mom had a kidney transplant surgery 10 years ago this weekend. Tonight, we celebrated 10 years of life since then, thanks to my uncle Mike, who donated to her.

i didn't cry at the 'party,' although mom and gramama and uncle Mike did... for some reason i had to be 'manly' and whatever.

but WOW... my mom is alive thanks to the loving gift my uncle gave, risking his OWN life. mom has had NO complications in those 10 years. if not for my uncle, she wouldn't be in this state of health, maybe not even alive. if not for my mom, i wouldn't be alive for one thing, and i wouldn't have been able to go to college or have a home to come back to for the past few years. I shed a tear a few minutes ago just trying to take in the magnitude of mom's existence, and all that she has done to impact my life, and how thankful i am for her.

even though my mom and i don't get along sometimes
even though my mom doesn't understand how i think about things
even though my mom doesn't really like my music too much
even though my mom babies my brother more than me
even though my mom thinks i should marry Jennifer
even though my mom has a fiance that i don't really know...

she loves me unconditionally
and i love her

maybe she'll read this whenever she gets a computer in the house.