Beautiful on the inside and out

My mom always said that if you have one true friend in your life, you are truly blessed. I am indeed blessed.

My dear friend Tammy, has been a part of my life since the day I was born. Our mothers are friends and we were born exactly one month apart. She was born Feb. 5 and I was born March 5 of the same year. (Coincidentally, my younger brother was born May 1, 1984, and her younger sister was born July 1 of the same year. Weird, right?) So when I say we've known each other since the day I was born, that is a pretty literal statement.

We've always had a unique relationship. Each of us has our own lives and our own set of friends who generally don't intermingle, but we've always remained friends. As far as I can remember (now she might say different, I don't know), she and I have never had an argument or major disagreement.

She is also a mother I truly admire.

I have to admit that I have not always been a very nice person. Tammy is another person who got pregnant while my husband and I were in the midst of our pregnancy struggle. She and I planned (independently) to have a baby around the same time. She was successful and I was not.

When she called me to tell me her big news, I tried to be as happy as possible for her, but I was actually crying while saying I was happy. I was happy, I was just disappointed in myself, too. In hindsight, I should have been adult enough to wait until I got off the phone with her to cry, but if you've ever struggled to get pregnant (or keep a pregnancy) you know how emotional it can really be. I did apology for my behavior. I think it was the very next day when I called her in a much more composed state and told her how happy I was for her. I really was. The thing about Tammy is that instead of just accepting my apology or being upset with me, she told me she completely understood my reaction. She was not upset with me and we were able to get on with her pregnancy.

I'm not proud of some of my past behavior.

Anyway, Tammy is a terrific mother, wife and woman. She is a music teacher at an elementary school. She plays a variety of instruments that include the piano, bassoon, saxophone, violin and who know what else. She performs in concert bands and teaches music lessons. Her husband is an elementary school art teacher who moonlights as a "real" artist.

On top of all this, their son is the most pleasant and well-mannered boy I know.

What I really love about Tammy is that she is not afraid to admit when she's wrong, she accepts advice openly and is a fantastic listener. I wish I could be as good of a listener as she is because I think it would make me a much better person.

She is a fighter who will always stand up for her family. She has unshakeable determination to do what she feels in best for her family. I've never heard her say an outright bad thing about any member of her family or friends. That, my friend, is not a characteristic many woman have. I admire that trait in her.

Tammy is a beautiful wife, mother and woman. She's beautiful on the inside and the outside and she deserves an extra special Mother's Day.

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Don't forget to share your mom story at The Mercury's Mother's Day 2008 blog. After you submit your story, let me know by commenting to this post or e-mailing me. I will be sharing stories here about my favorite moms through the rest of this week. I would love some company during this journey through motherhood, so please share your stories. After they are featured on The Mercury site, I will also post them here.