Momma

My Favorite Person Elizabeth Kern is a name many people around the city of Salisbury will recognize. In my eyes, this woman is not just a role model, she is my hero. When I was an adolescent, my mother always fought through her battles to provide for her family and still does. My mother has had a tough life and she is a stronger person for that. Elizabeth may come off as intimidating, scary, and even a “rough neck”. But my mother is none of those; if you had the opportunity of meeting her I am sure that you will not leave her sight without a smile. She is a very optimistic human being and I can’t express it enough. My mother has many amazing qualities but she is most special to me because she is loud, funny, and strong. My mother has a bold personality, and her strongest trait is her sense of humor. If you ever talk to my mom, you will learn a great lesson. My mother has a tendency to always crack a joke! When Elizabeth was in high school, she was voted class clown. I didn’t need a yearbook to believe her because of constantly being around her. My family and I had gone camping and my mother bought me and my brother a decent pair of blue and red glow sticks. Well, I opened my mouth and said “Make sure you don’t lose your glow stick!” knowing my mother would have a vague comment to say, I cringed automatically. Finally opening her mouth, my mother shouts “That’s the point of a glow stick Amanda, it glows!” Although it was not a joke, many people around us had gotten a good chuckle. From experience, I have watched my mother make almost every single person she has met laugh. Even when the day is bad for her, she would rather make someone’s day ten times better. Ever since her freshman year in high school she has been the “Highlight Reel” said Mom. She would get kicked out the class for clowning around and talking all the time. Her attitude completely changes when she gets around other people. When my mother gets around someone, her face lights up and she starts to constantly run her mouth. I can honestly say that I am thankful I do not have that trait. Although being funny is exciting, my mother takes it to a whole other extreme with the volume of her voice. A rather annoying, and memorable trait my mother has is the highly raised volume of her voice. My mother has a tendency to be fairly loud wherever we go. In public, she likes to shout louder than her usual tone at home. My mom’s phone is usually on loud blast, even when we are in church. Things got out of hand one time, on a regular Sunday morning my mother and I decided to go to church. During prayer my mother’s phone rang off and she let it play through the whole song “Confessions” by Usher. If that wasn’t the limit, during the service, the pastor had said something my mom disagreed on. Like the woman she is, my mother spoke up and didn’t let the pastor get a word in edge wise. While disagreeing and carrying on about the sermon, the pastor raised his voice and said “Stop, you are pissing me off!” and we haven’t gone back since. Even though my mother likes to progressively get louder in public, her tone at home doesn’t change much. My mother likes to shout at almost anything. When she is on the phone, when she is in the bathroom, and when she is talking to my family in the same room. I must say, I should hate this trait of hers, but I don’t. When I hear her voice, I know it’s my mom and I get reassured of things. Hearing my mom’s voice, makes me feel safe. I’m not sure why she has conversations the way she does. But, if it was caused by something that happened in her life among other things, it made her stronger. Finally, the last thing that makes her special to me is her amazing strength. My mom has been a fighter ever since I was capable of realizing my surroundings. When I was just a baby, my mother lost the closet person to her in her life. My Granddad Gunnar was an amazing man. He was always there for my mom and when he died my mother fell into a depressing state. Aside from her loss, my mother still went to work and still paid the bills the best she could without any complaints or worries. When the sadness started to pass a few years later my parents were having a conversation. My dad was in the military and my mom wanted to join. My father said “Beth, the military is a job for men, trust me you won’t make it!” my mother begged to differ. In 2006, my mother bravely joined the military and went to boot camp in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Unfortunately, my brother had to get immediate brain surgery and my mom went “AWOL”. While my brother was recovering, the cops found my mom and said that she would have to be put in prison. She went to court and the judge told her to go back and complete school and the charges will be dropped. So, there she was going through boot camp a second time. My mother finished school as Private First-Class Elizabeth Kern. If that wasn’t enough, my mother had to hear terrifying news that her sister Debborah had just gotten diagnosed with stage four cancer of the lymph nodes. My mother has had a rough life, but she never let anyone believe that for a second. She loves her life and she has always told me “Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” If you had the opportunity to meet my mother, you wouldn’t regret it. My mother can be your best friend, or your worst enemy. If you have had anyone special to you, I wouldn’t take them for granted. If I could share my mother with the world I would. Everyone needs a little crazy in their life sometimes.